Fête de l'Ail Rose de Lautrec

The unmissable event of the Tarn terroir

Every first weekend of August, the medieval village of Lautrec, listed among the Most Beautiful Villages in France, comes alive to the rhythm of the Fête de l'Ail Rose, one of the largest gastronomic festivals in southern France. Since 1971, this celebration marks the beginning of the marketing season for pink garlic, an exceptional product cultivated in the Tarn region known as Pays de Cocagne and recognized by an IGP and a Label Rouge.

An exceptional gastronomic heritage

Lautrec pink garlic is distinguished by its characteristic pink skin, its sweet and subtle flavor, and its remarkable shelf life. Cultivated on the clay-limestone soils of the Pays de Cocagne, it benefits from know-how passed down from generation to generation by Tarn producers. The festival is an opportunity to discover this product in all its forms: in traditional braids, in soup, in tarts, in confits, and in countless culinary preparations.

A rich and festive program

Over two days, the Fête de l'Ail Rose offers a dense and varied program:

• The grand market: pink garlic producers selling directly, artisans, and producers from the Tarn region
• Garlic soup: free tasting of the traditional pink garlic soup, served to thousands of visitors
• Manouilles competition: competition for the most beautiful and longest garlic braid, with a record attempt each year (24.38 meters in 2024)
• Culinary competitions: competition for the best pink garlic tart and artistic compositions
• Queen's election: crowning of the Lautrec Pink Garlic Queen
• Activities: concerts, brass bands, costume parades, traditional music, children's entertainment

More than fifty years of tradition

Created in the 1970s, the festival's original purpose was to celebrate the start of the pink garlic sales season after drying in traditional dryers. Over the decades, the event has grown, expanding from one day to two days in 2014. The giant manouille project, launched in 1998 by Jeunes Agriculteurs (Young Farmers), has become a highlight of each edition, with successive records benefiting charitable causes. With over 25,000 visitors each year, the Fête de l'Ail Rose is now one of the most popular events in the Tarn department.