150 street vendors, craft market, funfair… The La Réole fair cultivates gigantism

The second largest fair in Gironde returns to the banks of the Garonne, in La Réole, from Friday October 31 to Sunday November 2

"It's a thousand-year-old fair, and we're very proud of that," says Bernadette Cousin, first deputy mayor of La Réole. From Friday, October 31st to Sunday, November 2nd, the All Saints' Day fair will once again take place on the banks of the Garonne.

The event , which attracts at least 30,000 people each year – "and even more if the weather is nice!" says the elected official – is the second largest fair in Gironde, and the first with free admission. "You find all generations there, it's a meeting point, it's joyful. When I was little, I went on the same rides that my granddaughter does today!"

Exhibitors, events, schedules... What is the program for this 2025 edition, which took two months to prepare and on which the City's technical teams have been working since mid-October?

It's a must-see: the "foire aux plaisirs," as Bernadette Cousin calls it, or the funfair. The first trucks carrying the rides were already parked at the city gates on Thursday, October 23, waiting for the Saturday market to end and to be able to set up. Places are expensive and are passed down from one generation of fairground workers to the next. More than 80 attractions will be on the quays during the fair.

The flea market is the heart of the festival. With 150 exhibitors, it will stretch 1.5 km round trip, along the quays as well as along Avenue Jean-Delsol, which leads back into the heart of the city. "It's popular," assures Bernadette Cousin. "There's something for every budget, I tried to include a bit of quality too." This perhaps explains the loyalty of the street vendors, 90% of whom return year after year. Right next door, nearly 70 professional exhibitors will set up shop. From car dealerships to fish farmers to a travel agency, a wide range of goods and services will be represented.

New this year: the Réolaise association La Guilde France is organizing a Halloween-themed craft market on the Charles-de-Gaulle esplanade, and is also planning several events. Around thirty artisans will be there, as well as food trucks. Right next door, the corridors of the priory will host a painting exhibition. A way to encourage visitors to invest in the upper part of the town.

The fair will be open all three days from 10 a.m. until 7 p.m. for the flea market, until 9 p.m. for professional exhibitors, and until 1 a.m. for the funfair. Food and refreshments will be available on site. A free shuttle service will be available to get there from the Intermarché car park and from the Mijéma roundabout. Information is available on the website lareole.fr .