Fête des Airelles-Myrtilles

50th Edition — August 14th and 15th, 2025

The village of Sauvain experienced a historic moment on August 14th and 15th, 2025 with the 50th edition of its renowned Fête des Airelles-Myrtilles. Half a century after the first festival organized by the youth club in 1975, the Festival Committee, chaired by Cédric Barou, offered a special program for this exceptional anniversary.

Evening of August 14th

The festival began on Thursday, August 14th at 7 PM with the traditional school meal (potatoes, sarasson, sausage, cheese, homemade cakes — €10), followed at 9 PM by a free open-air cinema for all ages, showing Lilo & Stitch and a retrospective film on the 50 years of August 15th in Sauvain.

Day of August 15th

Friday, August 15th, the main day of the festival, offered a dense program starting at 10 AM:

• 10 AM: Assumption Mass at Sauvain Church
• 10 AM-6:30 PM: Museum of Fourme and Traditions open with operating reciprocating saw, clog making, fourme making, 12 exhibitions, 60s songs, and clown show
• 12 PM: Official speeches for the 50th anniversary and anniversary meal (beef shoulder in blueberry sauce, potatoes, fourme de Montbrison, blueberries — €14)
• All day: Local Producers' Market, sale of bilberries and blueberries (subject to availability), and sauvagnet tasting in the village
• Folk Groups: Le Folklore issoirien animated the streets with traditional dances and music
• Sport Woodcutting Show: Impressive woodcutting demonstrations
• Dog Trainer: Canine show
• Exhibition of vintage tractors and cars
• 5:45 PM: Raffle draw
• 7 PM: Evening countryside meal (€9)

An Anniversary Marked by the Absence of Fresh Blueberries

A notable aspect of this anniversary edition: fresh blueberries were absent for the second consecutive year, due to successive climatic hazards (hail, late frost, drought). Volunteers prepared the sauvagnets with frozen blueberries, giving the fritters an even more pronounced color. This situation highlighted the fragility of the wild fruit in the face of climate change, with the harvest season now occurring more than 15 days before August 15th.

Program for Thursday, August 14th, 2025

• 7:00 PM: School meal — potatoes, sarasson, sausage, cheese, homemade cakes (€10 with reservation)
• 9:00 PM: Free open-air cinema — Lilo & Stitch + film on the 50 years of August 15th in Sauvain

Program for Friday, August 15th, 2025

• 10:00 AM: Assumption Mass (Sauvain Church)
• 10:00 AM-6:30 PM: Museum of Fourme and Traditions — reciprocating saw, clog making, fourme making, 12 exhibitions, 60s songs, clown show
• All day: Local Producers' Market
• All day: Sale of bilberries and blueberries, and sauvagnet tasting
• All day: Folk groups — Le Folklore issoirien
• All day: Sport Woodcutting Show
• All day: Dog Trainer — canine show
• All day: Exhibition of vintage tractors and cars
• 12:00 PM: Official speeches for the 50th anniversary
• 12:00 PM: Anniversary meal — beef shoulder in blueberry sauce, potatoes, fourme, blueberries (€14 with reservation)
• 5:45 PM: Raffle draw
• 7:00 PM: Evening countryside meal (€9)

• 50th historic edition of the Fête des Airelles-Myrtilles — half a century of celebration
• Retrospective film on the 50 years shown in open-air cinema
• Official speeches and special 50th-anniversary meal
• Tasting of sauvagnets, the unique blueberry fritter of Sauvain
• Local producers' market from Forez
• Folk groups — Le Folklore issoirien
• Sport Woodcutting Show
• Museum of Fourme and Traditions — 12 exhibitions, reciprocating saw, clogs
• Exhibition of vintage tractors and cars
• Absence of fresh blueberries due to climatic hazards
• Between 2,000 and 3,000 visitors