Fair of Garlic, Wine and Flea Market

Fair of Garlic, Wine and Flea Market: over forty years of tradition in Billom

Every second weekend in August, the small medieval city of Billom, in the Puy-de-Dôme, vibrates to the rhythm of its famous Fair of Garlic, Wine and Flea Market. This popular event pays tribute to Billom pink garlic, an exceptional product cultivated in the Limagne plain since the return from the Crusades and recognized as a Remarkable Site of Taste.

Billom pink garlic, a treasure of the Auvergne terroir

Billom pink garlic benefits from a unique terroir: the clay-limestone soils of Limagne and the continental climate give it a sweet and subtle flavor, prized by gourmets. The Federation of Billom Pink Garlic brings together thirty-five producers who cultivate about fifty hectares, perpetuating ancestral know-how passed down from generation to generation.

A program rich in activities

The fair offers a dense program over two days:

• Producers' market: about twenty pink garlic producers offer direct sales of their first bulbs of the year, accompanied by merchants of wine, cheese, honey, and other products from the Auvergne region
• Pink garlic competition: a jury evaluates the most beautiful specimens according to their physical characteristics, rewarding the excellence of local production
• Braiding championship: open to all, this competition highlights a traditional technique that allows garlic to retain its flavor and freshness throughout the year
• Inductions: the Confrérie des Grands Goussiers d'Auvergne welcomes new members in a festive ceremony
• Musical entertainment: bands and folk groups liven up the streets of the medieval city throughout the weekend
• Flea market and garage sale: about two hundred exhibitors and sixty merchants take over the squares and alleys of Billom

A popular and family-friendly festival

Free and open to all, the Billom Garlic Fair is a friendly event that attracts around twenty-five thousand visitors each year. Families enjoy the street entertainment, tastings, and the warm atmosphere of this city with its rich medieval heritage. On Saturday evening, a fireworks display concludes the first day of festivities.

Billom, medieval city and Remarkable Site of Taste

Billom is a city steeped in history, known for its remarkably preserved medieval quarter, its half-timbered houses, and its former university founded in the 13th century. The recognition of pink garlic as a Remarkable Site of Taste testifies to the importance of this product in the local identity and economy.