"Icarus Cup": the witch and other characters on paragliders soar over the French Alps

Strange animals and real witches fly over the French Alps on a broomstick. This is not a fiction. In fact, the annual paragliding festival was held in the village in the south of Saint-Hilaire-du-Touvet. The competition-festival is called the "Icarus Cup" and is dedicated to the art of paragliding.

It was first held in 1974, when fifty pilots participated in it, and now there are about eight thousand participants. They show the mastery of gliders, hang gliders, paragliders and balloons. Fly, blue Cow The festival goes on for three days, but the most exciting part is the spectacular show.

Participants prepare for this costumed performance in advance and come up with unusual designs, decorations for aircraft and costumes themselves. Every year, viewers can watch unforgettable acrobatic shows in the air with the participation of the most fantastic characters. But a creepy figure takes off into the sky, which actually turns out to be a pilot dressed up in a wizard costume. Paragliders appear in the sky one after another in the images of stormtroopers, huge inflatable ducks, characters from the movie "Titanic" and a cute blue cow, which is the mascot of the city.

In fact, all the participants are professional pilots who spend many hours in the sky, but sometimes they cross the ocean to participate in the show.

In addition to competitions and an air show, the program includes a musical performance "Turbulence", master classes for children on launching homemade airplanes, educational films are shown and an international short film festival about paragliding is held. There is also an exhibition of the latest technical achievements and novelties in the field of paramotors, all kinds of aircraft and pilot equipment.