Fête 1900

Moret-sur-Loing, a medieval gem in 1900 attire

Classified among the Most Beautiful Detours in France, the city of Moret-sur-Loing boasts exceptional architectural heritage: fortified gates, a 12th-century keep, a medieval bridge, the Notre-Dame church, half-timbered houses, and picturesque quays along the Loing. It is in this historic setting, dear to the Impressionist painter Alfred Sisley who spent his last years there, that the Fête 1900 unfolds each year, transforming medieval stone into a backdrop for the crinolines, boater hats, and mustaches of the Belle Époque.

Total immersion in the Belle Époque

The principle of the Fête 1900 is simple and joyful: the whole village plays along. Shopkeepers decorate their windows in 1900 colors and wear period costumes. Residents don their finest outfits — long dresses, veiled hats, frock coats, old-fashioned firefighter uniforms — and stroll through the streets as they did in the Belle Époque. Visitors are warmly invited to come in costume, and many respond to the call.

Theatrical reenactments and entertainment

The Fête 1900 program is full of theatrical scenes that liven up the streets and squares throughout the day. Among the highlights are the bank robbery by costumed brigands, the reenactment of a 1900 wedding with a bridal procession, a demonstration of old fire pumps by costumed firefighters, and an old-fashioned school class with the awarding of the elementary school certificate — complete with purple ink, quills, and dunce caps.

Old-fashioned artisans and guinguette

The old-fashioned craft market showcases trades and skills from the turn of the century: lacemaker, knife grinder, blacksmith, old-fashioned photographer. Vintage cars from the Belle Époque and the interwar period are exhibited along the quays, offering a delightful spectacle. The guinguette atmosphere takes over by the Loing with retro music concerts, ballroom dancing, and rustic catering.

A popular festival driven by the residents

The Fête 1900 is above all a village festival, driven by local associations and the residents of the commune of Moret-Loing-et-Orvanne. This collective mobilization, involving shopkeepers, schools, heritage associations, and families, gives the event its authentic and warm character, far from museum-like reenactments. It is this conviviality that makes this unique festival in Seine-et-Marne so charming.