Fête du Pain
France's largest ephemeral bakery, on the parvis of Notre-Dame de Paris
About Fête du Pain
Thirty years of celebrating French bread
The Fête du Pain was born in 1996, created on the initiative of Jean-Pierre Raffarin, then Minister for SMEs, Trade and Crafts, to highlight the know-how of French bakers-pastry chefs and the central place of bread in French culture and gastronomy. Supported by the National Confederation of French Bakery-Pastry, the festival is held throughout the country, but it is in Paris, on the parvis of Notre-Dame, that it finds its most spectacular expression.
The parvis of Notre-Dame, an open-air bakery
Every year in May, a huge 500-square-meter canopy is erected on the parvis of the Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral (4th arrondissement), housing a real, functioning ephemeral bakery. Bakers and pastry chefs from Grand Paris knead, shape, and bake bread live in front of the public, in a friendly and educational atmosphere. Visitors can observe every step of bread making, from flour selection to coming out of the oven.
2025 Edition: Baking, professions of the future
The 29th edition of Fête du Pain took place from May 1st to 11th, 2025 on the parvis of Notre-Dame de Paris, with the theme "Baking, professions of the future". For eleven days, bakers-pastry chefs from Île-de-France welcomed the public for kneading and baking demonstrations, educational workshops, tastings, and flour presentations by millers from the region. The edition celebrated the diversity of baking professions and their attractiveness to younger generations.
2026 Edition: The 30th Anniversary
The 30th anniversary edition of Fête du Pain will be held from May 8th to 17th, 2026 on the parvis of Notre-Dame de Paris. Ten days of festivities are planned, with an exceptional program for this jubilee. On May 15th, 16th, and 17th, Meilleurs Ouvriers de France (MOF) will create exceptional bread dough pieces live, offering a rare quality artisanal spectacle. Demonstrations, workshops, tastings, and educational activities will punctuate this anniversary edition.
A free and popular event
Fête du Pain is an entirely free event, open to all. Families are particularly welcome, with workshops dedicated to children — dough kneading, making small breads, decorating pastries — and fun activities around bread and baking. The event helps transmit to new generations the passion for artisanal bread and respect for the know-how of French bakers.
Fête du Pain — edition 2026
30th anniversary edition of the Bread Festival, from Friday, May 8 to Sunday, May 17, 2026 on the parvis of Notre-Dame de Paris. For ten days, France's largest ephemeral bakery hosted around a hundred artisan bakers and apprentices from Greater Paris for demonstrations, tastings, workshops, national competitions, and the monumental construction of an Eiffel Tower made of bread by Meilleurs Ouvriers de France on May 15, 16, and 17.
30 Years of the Bread Festival on the Notre-Dame Parvis
For its thirtieth anniversary, the Bread Festival was held from May 8 to 17, 2026 on the parvis of Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral, under a marquee of over 500 m² erected in front of the monument. Organized nationally by the National Confederation of French Bakery-Pastry (CNBPF) and locally by the Greater Paris Bakers' Union, this jubilee edition brought together nearly a hundred artisan bakers and apprentices from the Île-de-France region around a real working bakery.
The 2026 Theme: "Bread, the only thing you share without regrets"
The 30th-edition anniversary campaign was based on a slogan playing with the codes of youth language — for whom "un pain" (a bread) designates an attractive person — in order to place artisanal bread back at the heart of contemporary conversations. The stated objective: to revive the consumption of artisanal bread among those under 30, while promoting baking know-how, which has been inscribed since 2022 on UNESCO's intangible cultural heritage list.
A Working Bakery, Open to All
On site, the public could observe all stages of bread making — kneading, shaping, fermentation, baking — and interact directly with the artisans. Tasting areas, flour presentations by millers from Île-de-France, educational workshops for children and adults, brass bands, and musical entertainment punctuated the ten days of festivities. Admission and tastings remained entirely free, without reservation.
The Highlight of the Show: The Eiffel Tower Made of Bread
The highlight of this anniversary edition focused on the last weekend. From May 15 to 17, 2026, several Meilleurs Ouvriers de France bakers, led by Thierry Meunier, built live in front of the public the largest Eiffel Tower ever made of bread — a monumental and ephemeral work, a celebration of French artisanal know-how.
Programme Fête du Pain 2026
Friday, May 8, 2026 — Opening
Inauguration of the 30th Bread Festival on the Notre-Dame parvis. Opening of the ephemeral bakery, first demonstrations of kneading and baking, tastings.
Saturday, May 9, 2026
- Competition for the best traditional French baguette — Grande Couronne d'Île-de-France
- Continuous baking demonstrations, flour presentations by millers from Île-de-France
Sunday, May 10, 2026
- Competition for the best traditional French baguette — Greater Paris
- Demonstrations, tastings, family workshops
Monday, May 11, 2026
- National Best Sandwich Competition — 3rd edition, co-organized by CNBPF and Sysco, about twenty artisan bakers competing
Tuesday, May 12, 2026
- Competition for the best butter croissant
- First day of the National Competition for the best traditional French baguette (12th edition)
Wednesday, May 13, 2026
- Continuation of the National Competition for the best traditional French baguette
- Demonstrations and educational workshops
Thursday, May 14, 2026
- Final of the National Competition for the best traditional French baguette and awards ceremony
Friday, May 15, Saturday, May 16, and Sunday, May 17, 2026 — Anniversary Highlight
- Live construction of the largest Eiffel Tower made of bread by Thierry Meunier (Meilleur Ouvrier de France) and several other MOF bakers
- Retrospective of 30 years of the Bread Festival
- Demonstrations and tastings until closing on Sunday evening, May 17
Highlights Fête du Pain 2026
- 30th anniversary edition of the Bread Festival
- Live construction of the largest Eiffel Tower made of bread by Meilleurs Ouvriers de France (May 15-17)
- National Competition for the best traditional French baguette from May 12 to 14 (12th edition)
- National Best Sandwich Competition on May 11
- Competition for the best butter croissant
- Around a hundred artisan bakers and apprentices from Greater Paris demonstrating
- 500 m² ephemeral bakery in front of Notre-Dame Cathedral
- Free admission and tastings, no reservation required
Prices Fête du Pain 2026
Practical information — Fête du Pain
Access
The festival takes place on the parvis of Notre-Dame Cathedral, 6 parvis Notre-Dame — Place Jean-Paul II, 75004 Paris.
- By metro: Cité (line 4), Saint-Michel (line 4), Hôtel de Ville (lines 1 and 11).
- By RER: Saint-Michel — Notre-Dame (lines B and C).
- By bus: Lines 21, 24, 27, 38, 47, 85, 96.
Prices
Free admission. Free tastings.
Opening Hours
Open from 10 am to 7 pm daily.
Information
More information on boulangerie.org.
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Where does it take place — Fête du Pain
Parvis de Notre-Dame de Paris
6 parvis Notre-Dame — Place Jean-Paul II, 75004 Paris