Fête de l'Alpage

The Fête de l'Alpage: more than fifty years of alpine traditions

The Fête de l'Alpage in Le Grand-Bornand is one of the oldest and most popular traditional festivals in Haute-Savoie. Since the late 1960s — the 56th edition was held in 2024 — this festive day celebrates pastoral life, mountain agriculture, and the ancestral know-how of the Aravis massif's alpine pastures. It takes place in Le Chinaillon, a high-altitude hamlet of Le Grand-Bornand, in a spectacular natural setting between green meadows and limestone peaks.

A day rich in traditions and festivities

The Fête de l'Alpage unfolds over an entire day, from morning to evening, with a program that combines sport, traditions, gastronomy, and conviviality:

Morning: race and remembrance

The day begins with a popular running race (3 km and 1.5 km) open to all, followed by an open-air mass that brings together locals and visitors in the majestic setting of Le Chinaillon.

Lunch: country meal and orchestra

The traditional country meal, accompanied by a live orchestra, brings together hundreds of guests around Savoyard specialties in a festive and warm atmosphere.

Afternoon: traditions and shows

The afternoon is full of activities: folkloric group demonstrations, spectacular lumberjack competitions, parade of decorated floats on a theme renewed each year, sheepdog demonstrations, and introductions to climbing and grass skiing.

Evening: reblochon, fireworks, and ball

At the end of the day, a demonstration of reblochon and tomme blanche making allows visitors to discover this emblematic know-how of Haute-Savoie. The festival continues with an animated dinner, fireworks, and a free popular ball that concludes this day of sharing and tradition.

An identity event for Le Grand-Bornand

The Fête de l'Alpage is much more than just a village festival: it is an act of transmission of the pastoral and artisanal heritage of the Aravis. It testifies to the attachment of the inhabitants of Le Grand-Bornand to their territory, their traditions, and the alpine pasture life that has shaped the identity of this valley for centuries.