There are plenty of impressive sights during the Monaco Yacht Show: gleaming superyachts, helicopters overhead and some of the most extravagant toys money can buy.
But this year, one of the most striking spectacles was nowhere near the water.
For the second year running, the Monaco Moravia hot-air balloon rose majestically above the Place du Palais Princier, bringing an unexpected splash of red and white to one of the Principality’s most famous settings.
And getting it there was considerably more complicated than simply turning on the burner.
Waiting for the Wind
A hot-air balloon and the tightly enclosed surroundings of the Palace Square are not an obvious combination. Wind speed, direction and rapidly changing conditions all had to be monitored with extraordinary precision.
The final decision to inflate the balloon was made only minutes before the operation began.
Once the weather gave its approval, the teams of the Club des Aéronautes de Monaco moved quickly. Firmly secured to the ground, the enormous balloon gradually inflated until it towered above the square, with the Prince’s Palace providing a suitably dramatic backdrop.
For Alain Cruteanschii, President and founder of the Club des Aéronautes de Monaco and pilot of the national balloon, the occasion carried particular significance.
“An extraordinary evening in an exceptional setting,” he said. “The trust placed in us by the Sovereign, by allowing us to fly on his land, is an immense honour for the Club des Aéronautes de Monaco and for all our partners.”
HSH Prince Albert II has accepted the Honorary Presidency of the Aéronautes de Monaco, giving further prominence to a project that is becoming increasingly ambitious.
From Palace Square to the World
The Monaco Moravia balloon is not intended merely to provide spectacular photographs above the Principality.
Supported by its principal partner, Moravia Yachting, the club wants the red-and-white balloon to become a flying ambassador for Monaco, and its forthcoming itinerary suggests it intends to take that description quite literally.
Early 2027 will see appearances at several celebrated European ballooning destinations. January is expected to bring the Mondovì festival in Italy, Méribel in the French Alps and the International Balloon Festival at Château-d’Œx in Switzerland. February should take the team to Verbier and Auron, with further destinations still to be announced.
But those Alpine adventures are merely preparation for something considerably bigger.
America Beckons
The club is developing an audacious plan to cross the United States from east to west in 2027–2028.
The proposed journey would begin in Philadelphia, chosen for its connection with Princess Grace, who was born there, and unfold over seven stages and almost two months.
Its destination will be Albuquerque, New Mexico, home of the celebrated Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, where the Monaco team intends to compete in the Nations Cup.
“Beyond the aerial and human achievement, this crossing will provide a remarkable international showcase for what, in our eyes, is one of the Principality’s most beautiful emblems,” Cruteanschii said.
It would be quite a journey: from the compact elegance of Monaco’s Palace Square to the immense skies of the American West.
For now, though, the Monaco Moravia balloon has already achieved something rather special. Amid a Yacht Show devoted to spectacular machines designed to travel across the sea, it managed to persuade plenty of people to look in precisely the opposite direction.
