Behold the French village festival. In France every village has its day, and the village fêtes are hugely popular with the locals. They are certain characteristics you will find in every village fête.
Now you must remember we come from Charleston, where festivals run from the highly sophisticated (the annual Wine+Food Festival, with celebrity chefs vying to cook for you) to the international (Spoleto Festival USA, a three-week long festival of the arts, with a sister festival in Italy). So for us, the village fêtes here are, shall we say, a change of pace.
Herewith, a primer. At a French village fête there will always be:
1. A meal, with wine. Keep expectations low.
2. Speeches. Usually long and delivered with a cheap microphone so they are completely unintelligible. Avoid this segment of the program at all costs.
3. Music, (the quality varies wildly), and dancing.
4. Games for the kids.
5. Someone in a costume of some sort.
6. Something incredibly hokey.
7. Une animation, which is some form of entertainment. Sometimes surprisingly creative; otherwise, see #6.
And so it was our village had a big fête this week, and a great time was had by all. The excuse for the party: it was the 40th anniversary of our Foyer Rurale (village social committee). Time to go all out.
The theme: it was suggested that all participants and attendees wear black and white, for no apparent reason other than to provide costume opportunities. The speeches: short and sweet, yea! The music: the classic French accordionist, who was very good; accompanied, regrettably, by a female singer who definitely should not quit her day job. The food: picnic lunch under the tents. The entertainment: first there was a parade by everyone in the region who has an ultra-loud, muffler-free motorcycle, all gunning their motors and blowing their horns. This, thankfully, was brief. 
Then came the parade by the antique car club of Cluny, quite impressive. For extra excitement, there was a little slope to get down into the parade area, and some of the cars couldn’t make it back up.
Ah, but something special: Our commune (the village, and surrounding county) of 300 people has an amazing 14 nationalities, so our Dutch friend Gerard decided the expats should do something to thank the villagers, who have been so welcoming. He and the other expat guys made a display board for each country, and we decorated them, and stationed ourselves there to chat with the merry-makers. Everyone got into the spirit. The English offered cucumber sandwiches and gave away tea bags. At the German booth there were 3 kinds of dark 
bread to try, with salted butter. The Belgians were dishing up a homemade flower liquer from a silver punchbowl. At the U.S. booth, we offered chocolate chip cookies and southern sweet tea with mint and lemon.
Our village is of course rural and small. As I poured her some iced tea, one French lady tickled me with her comment: “Oh but your village is SO cosmopolitan!” Maybe we’re not so far from Charleston after all.
In the COMMENTS: by email–reader Carmie is looking for a fun cooking school in France, can anyone help? Mille mercis for all the comments, fellow rose lovers, from 2 weeks ago. RE lovely spots in France, Heather of Lost in Arles finds the same rich variety in her area. Mark, thanks for checking in from Paris Insider's Guide. Suzanne has a diet tip, Christine of Pen at the Ready has a salad tip. And Hampton offers up his favorite summer dessert recipe. Connie, see you in September, and Barbara is headed for Burgundy too. PHOTOS: more costumes, and our youngest reveler decked out in black & white.
Our reader's Blogs: In case you missed it, please scoot on over to The Daily Basics, for a house tour of the lovely old stone house in Burgundy I mentioned last week. And do SUBSCRIBE while you're there, it's a daily dose of stuff you want to know about!
13 thoughts on “Why You Should Never Pass Up a French Village Fête”
Lynn,
Your post reads like a Peter Mayle story. Our only similar experience was the mimosa festival at Le-Bar-sur-Loup. Dee-lightful. We simply stumbled across it while driving through the area. I’m sure we didn’t see, hear or taste half of what was available. But we enjoyed it anyway.
Thanks.
Chris
Love love love the local fetes! I remember a particularly fun one in Yssingeaux (Auvergne)…Great food!
Now see? I would normally avoid a village fete like the plague but you have me second guessing myself…However here in Provence, every one would be conked out on rosé and pastis before the lunch! 😉
And it sounds like you did our country proud! I bet your cookies and sweet tea were a massive hit.
Bon weekend!
Heather
You are so right!! These are fun. This was the main reason I loved other villages more than Paris when I visited! These village fêtes, no matter how hokey or strange, seem to unite everyone, young and old! I had an awesome time in an area near Tours and I have no idea what was being celebrated! It has been so long ago. I need to go back! Thank you for reviving my memories of one of my favorite experiences!!
Very funny post! I’ve been to a village fete or two in my travels as well, and well, that’s why I’m laughing. You hit the nail on the head.
Lynn, once again your gift of words and descriptions has filled our Friday with fun and started our weekend off with a bang!
What a super afternoon!
We haven’t been to a fete in ages and,now,thanks to you,feel like we have!
Bon journee!!!
Hi,
Looking for cooking classes that are just a few days long maybe, not actual “school”. I have heard that there are bed and breakfasts that combine classes with a stay. Has anyone heard of any throughout France? Thanks for putting it out there Lynn!
Carmie
La Fete sounds and looks like a lot of fun. What a great idea!
I don’t have a fete on the agenda for today, but now I’ve already enjoyed one. I happened to drive into Avallon some years ago when a horse show was underway in the center of town. The ladies were wearing long dresses and hats while the men wore suits. Thanks for sharing. It was a fun way to start my day.
Hi Carmie —
Kathy Alex at Cooking with Friends (that’s her website) offers classic cooking, plus B&B, at the former home of Julia Child near Grasse. Her kitchen has been preserved and you actually do your cooking (and eating) there! Great fun! Simone Beck’s former home is next door. Enjoy! Lin
Hi Carmie, my friend Lucy runs a beautiful teaching kitchen in Lyon. Here is her Facebook Page, you can contact her for more information. She doesn’t do bed and breakfast though. https://www.facebook.com/PlumLyon.fr
Thanks for the suggestion!! I will look into it.
Thanks so much!