Take off for the world’s largest gathering of hot-air balloons

10 days of festivities and amazement beneath the summer sun

You’ll never look at the sky again in the same way! In Lorraine, not far from Metz, the tarmac of the former air base in Chambley hosts one of the summer’s biggest events: the Grand Est Mondial Air Balloons. This biennial gathering of hot-air balloons is an irresistible invitation to reverie and travel in the fascinating world of ballooning.

Arriving from all four corners of the globe, a thousand balloons make their majestic ascent in joyful frenzy, providing a mind-blowing sight for the 500,000 visitors who’ve come to contemplate them. A magical, flamboyant show further enhanced by the soft light of dawn and dusk during the two daily mass flights.

Between take-offs, the world’s largest gathering of hot-air balloons continues to provide young and old alike with the stuff of dreams, thanks to a whole village with dozens of sports, cultural and aeronautical activities on offer. Enjoy its unique atmosphere and have all the fun you can manage.

The added bonus? Free admission and car park!

Vibrate to the rythm of the balloons' burners

The Grand Est Mondial Air Balloons’ many highlights include the incredible Great Line. On a 6-kilometre airstrip, several hundred balloons soar into the skies in unison, in a magnificent ballet!

Feel like treating yourself to the thrill of all thrills in the midst of a magnificent spectacle? Take a maiden hot-air balloon flight and join the multitude of multicoloured gondolas that sway gently up there in the “great wide open” of the troposphere. High in the air, enjoy breathtaking views over GEMAB’s take-off area. Can’t get enough? Helicopter, microlight, glider, paragliding and aircraft flights are also on the menu!

Back on terra firma, boredom doesn’t get a look in! What with a cultural visit to the Museum of Aerial Photography, a workshop on how to make water rockets, and introduction to a new sport, the hours pass without you noticing, until there you are witnessing the twilight flight and its parade of aeronauts.

View the 2023 programme

Immediate take-off for the Grand Est Mondial Air Balloons 2023

From Friday 21 to Sunday 30 July 2023, the world’s largest gathering of hot air balloons is back for an 18th edition where excitement’s the order of the day. Air workshops, Sports Village, Pavilion of the Future, Grand Est Tourism area, and more… There’s something for everyone!

Try your hand at flying radio-controlled mini-balloons, enjoy the magical night-time show put on by the balloons as they rise into the air like giant torches, and listen to the burners as they sing to the music’s rhythm. Every day, vintage aircraft flight demonstrations, exhibitions, and even maiden flights in virtual reality will ensure your time at GEMAB will be truly unforgettable.

The highpoint of the event, the Great Line will try to beat the previous world record set in 2017 and unequalled since then: getting more than 456 hot air balloons to take off simultaneously. So “Up and Away!”, the GEMAB awaits you for a stunning trip high above the clouds!