Fête de l'Estive

The Fête de l'Estive: when Allanche vibrates to the rhythm of transhumance

Each year, at the end of May, the small village of Allanche in Cantal transforms into the capital of transhumance. The Fête de l'Estive celebrates a key moment in pastoral life: the ascent of Salers cow herds to the high-altitude pastures of the Cézallier plateau, vast grassy areas located between 1,100 and 1,500 meters above sea level where the animals will spend the summer months.

An ancestral tradition honored

The practice of transhumance to summer pastures has been documented in Cézallier since the Middle Ages. For centuries, Cantal breeders led their herds on foot to the high pastures, staying in the burons, stone buildings where cheese was made on-site. While today most breeders transport their animals by trailer, some still perpetuate the traditional montade (ascent) on foot.

To preserve and keep this heritage alive, the association Les Amis du Vieil Allanche et du Cézallier, founded in 1979, created the Fête de l'Estive in the early 1990s. Since then, the event has grown steadily, now attracting over 40,000 visitors from all over France and abroad.

Saturday: parades, market, and festivities

On Saturday morning, festivities begin at 9 am in Maillargues with the arrival of the first herds. After the traditional blessing of the animals, the festival gates open in Allanche. Throughout the day, about ten Salers herds with their mahogany coats parade through the main street of the village, accompanied by their breeders in traditional attire, to the sound of Auvergne bands and folk groups.

Simultaneously, a large local produce market takes over the streets: Salers and Cantal cheeses, cured meats, honeys, artisanal breads, and other local specialties delight visitors' taste buds. Artisans showcase their skills, while demonstrations of cheese making and exhibitions on the burons of Cézallier complete the picture. A educational farm allows younger visitors to discover the agricultural world. The day continues into the evening with a traditional meal followed by a popular ball.

Sunday: the ascent to the summer pasture

The most moving moment of the festival takes place on Sunday morning. It's the free ascent to the summer pasture, a hike of about 22 kilometers allowing walkers to accompany a breeder and their Salers herd to the high-altitude pastures. Guided by a mountain leader, participants discover the exceptional flora of Cézallier, the remains of burons, and the immensity of the summer pastures. This moment of sharing between breeders and hikers, in a magnificent landscape of volcanic high plateaus, is a unique and deeply authentic experience.

A unifying and identity-building event

The Fête de l'Estive is more than just a folk event. It embodies the vitality of a rural mountain territory and the pride of its inhabitants in their agro-pastoral heritage. By highlighting the Salers breed, an emblem of Cantal, and environmentally friendly extensive farming practices, it raises public awareness about the importance of preserving these living traditions. Each edition also invites an animal or breed as a guest of honor, renewing the interest of loyal visitors.

Allanche, perched at 1,100 meters altitude at the foot of Cézallier, boasts the first train station in France used for transporting herds during transhumance, on the Neussargues-Bort-les-Orgues line which operated from 1907 to the 1990s. A strong symbol of transhumance's anchoring in the identity of this territory.