End of January: International Balloon Festival, Château-d'Oex
For eight colourful days at the end of January, the Alpine village of Château-d'Oex accommodates around 80 hot air balloons from 20 different countries. Balloons of all kinds of shapes and sizes float over the snowy Alps and it is quite a spectacular sight to behold, turning the winter greys into a colourful sky. The Balloon Festival runs from 23 to 31 January 2016. See