International Hot Air Balloon Festival in Switzerland

The International Hot Air Balloon Festival at Château-d’Oex, a super-pretty Swiss town about 150km from Geneva, is set to enter its 37th year. It’s sometimes called the balloon capital of the world — the first hot air adventurers that flew around the globe in 20 days without stopping left from Château-d’Oex in 1999 — and aerostiers from over 20 countries gather here annually to treat visitors to the magical sight of multicoloured balloons in all manners of shapes and sizes across the crystal clear winter vistas of the Alps. The Wednesday is made special for kids, and the son et lumière night show, featuring astonishing showmanship by paragliders and pyrotechnicians, takes the Saturday to unforgettable heights (January 24- February 1, 2015, www.festivaldeballons.ch)