Fête du Gâteau à la Broche
Celebration of the iconic Pyrenean cake in Arreau
About Fête du Gâteau à la Broche
The Gâteau à la Broche, Culinary Emblem of the Pyrenees
The Fête du Gâteau à la Broche celebrates this conical, golden cake every year in Arreau, a true culinary emblem of the Pyrenees. Cooked slowly over a wood fire, the gâteau à la broche is formed layer by layer on a rotating spit, requiring ancestral know-how passed down from generation to generation in the Aure and Louron valleys.
A Festive and Gourmet Event
For over 20 years, the Confrérie du Gâteau à la Broche has organized this festival on the Esplanade de Saint-Exupère in Arreau. The day's program includes:
- Cooking demonstrations of the gâteau à la broche over a wood fire
- A producers' market
- Musical entertainment and shows
- Free tastings of pastouille (gâteau à la broche batter)
- The grand unmolding of the cake and prize draw
- Activities for children: mini-farm, fishing initiation, mushroom exhibition
Arreau, Gateway to the Aure and Louron Valleys
Arreau, a charming classified village at the confluence of the Neste d'Aure and the Neste du Louron, offers an exceptional setting for this festival. Its half-timbered houses, medieval market halls, and mountain setting make it an ideal place to discover the culinary and artisanal traditions of the central Pyrenees.
Fête du Gâteau à la Broche — edition 2026
The Spit Cake Festival returns to Arreau on Sunday, July 19, 2026, for another festive and gourmet day in the heart of the Aure valley. Free entry and entertainment.
Spit Cake Festival 2026 in Arreau
On Sunday, July 19, 2026, the village of Arreau (Hautes-Pyrénées) celebrates its emblematic specialty: the spit cake (gâteau à la broche), a conical cake cooked over a wood fire, traditionally prepared for big family celebrations in the Aure and Louron valleys.
From the morning, pastry chefs and members of the Confrérie (Brotherhood) begin live cooking over a wood fire, under the eyes of visitors. The festival, organized every summer for over twenty years, takes place throughout the village: town hall square, shopping streets, and the fairground by the Neste river.
On the program: cooking demonstrations, gourmet tastings, a local producers' market (cheese, honey, Armagnac, preserves), children's entertainment, musical entertainment with local groups, and on-site refreshment stands/catering. Entry and entertainment are free, with free parking at the town entrances.
Programme Fête du Gâteau à la Broche 2026
Sunday, July 19, 2026
- From 10 AM — Start of spit cake cooking over a wood fire
- All day — Manufacturing demonstrations and tastings
- All day — Local producers' market (cheese, honey, Armagnac, preserves)
- All day — Musical entertainment with local and folk groups
- All day — Children's entertainment
- All day — Refreshment stands and on-site catering
Indicative program based on recent editions; detailed schedules are communicated by the organizer closer to the festival.
Highlights Fête du Gâteau à la Broche 2026
- Live cooking of the spit cake over a wood fire
- Gourmet tastings of the Pyrenean specialty
- Local producers' market from the Aure and Louron valleys
- Completely free entry and entertainment
Prices Fête du Gâteau à la Broche 2026
Practical information — Fête du Gâteau à la Broche
Practical Information
Location
Esplanade de Saint-Exupère, 65240 Arreau.
Typical Program
- 10:00 AM: Opening
- 10:30 AM: Cake cooking begins
- 11:00 AM: Musical entertainment
- 12:00 PM: Pastouille tasting
- 2:30 PM: Rafting descent
- 3:00 PM: Show
- 4:30 PM: Grand cake unmolding and prize draw
Prices
Free admission and free activities.
Access
- By car: Arreau is located 75 km south of Tarbes via the D929. Free parking at the village entrances.
Contact
- Website: www.pyrenees2vallees.com
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Where does it take place — Fête du Gâteau à la Broche
Esplanade de Saint-Exupère
Esplanade de Saint-Exupère, 65240 Arreau