Montgolfiades de Praz-sur-Arly

Join us from January 9 to 17, 2027, to experience the 36th edition of the Montgolfiades in Praz-sur-Arly

The program is currently being finalized—check back in a few weeks :)

36th Annual International Montgolfiades

Thanks to ideal weather conditions, the town of Praz-sur-Arly has become, in just a few years, the premier destination for mountain hot-air ballooning in France. Hot-air balloon flights are available year-round thanks to Gérard Issartel and the Alpes Montgolfière team. And over the weekend, the village in Haute-Savoie comes alive with a true celebration of hot-air ballooning during the International Montgolfiades!

Why a hot-air balloon festival in Praz-sur-Arly?

In 1990, professionals who organized air shows passed through Praz-sur-Arly and discovered a vast, undeveloped field at the entrance to the village. To them, the location seemed ideal for setting up a launch site. A year later, the first festival took place. Twelve balloons were invited to the inaugural event. Starting the very next year, the Tourist Office began organizing the event independently.

Over the course of more than 30 years, a number of iconic men and women—notably the flight directors—have held the position: Guy Garcia, Daniel Dupuis (known as “Papy”), Jo Roulet, and Alain Paris. Jo Roulet, who served as flight director for several years and is a national instructor, is France’s leading pilot for mountain ballooning. This year’s flight director, Alain Paris, is also the pilot of the Paris hot-air balloon (the Generali Atmospheric Observatory) and serves as flight director for the Lille festival. In 2004, the Défi Transalpin began; the goal was to cover the longest distance in a single flight through the heart of the Mont Blanc Massif. In 2006, the TF1 crew flew over Mont Blanc and landed in Italy! It has always been possible to inflate balloons during the week. Several French champions have come to fly during the Montgolfiades. In 2014, Laure De Coligny, French champion, was featured on TF1’s 8 p.m. news in a report filmed in Praz-sur-Arly. On five occasions—in 1993, 1999, 2015, 2018, and 2022—the balloons were unable to take off on the weekend due to weather conditions.

Accès :

• Nous vous conseillons d'utiliser les parkings disponibles au niveau du front de neige : itinéraire
• Accès conseillé : RD1212 -> Route des Grabilles -> Route d'Arly -> Parkings des pistes
• Temps de trajet à pied depuis les parkings : 5/6 min 
• La Route des Belles sera en sens unique durant le week-end