Apt Cherry Festival

The Apt Cherry Festival: A tribute to a king fruit of the Luberon

Every June, when the cherry trees on the Luberon hills bend under the weight of their red and shiny fruits, Apt celebrates the cherry with the fervor and joy that this emblematic fruit deserves. The Apt Cherry Festival is a popular and gourmet event that brings together producers, artisans, families, and visitors around a product that has shaped the agricultural and gastronomic identity of the Pays d'Apt for centuries.

Apt is known worldwide as the world capital of candied fruits. This title is well-deserved: since the Middle Ages, Apt's confectioners have developed unparalleled confiting techniques, preserving the fruits of the Luberon in sugar and syrup to send them to the most refined tables in Europe. The cherry is at the heart of this heritage: candied, transformed into liqueur, jam, or simply enjoyed fresh from the morning's picking, it is the king fruit of the region.

The Luberon Cherry: A terroir of excellence

The cherry orchards of the Luberon benefit from an exceptional terroir. The calcareous and well-drained soils of the hills of the Luberon Regional Natural Park, the Mediterranean climate with its hot summers and sufficiently cold winters for the cherry trees to bloom abundantly, and the know-how of local arborists produce cherries of recognized quality.

The main varieties cultivated in the Pays d'Apt are Bigarreau Napoleon and Reverchon, two varieties with firm, sweet flesh ideal for confectionery. The earlier Burlat is the first to ripen and announces the opening of the season. The smaller, more acidic guignes are used for spirits and jams. This varietal diversity allows for a season stretching from late May to early July.

The orchards extend over the communes of Gargas, Saint-Saturnin-lès-Apt, Villars, Caseneuve, and other villages in the Pays d'Apt, creating unforgettable landscapes of blooming flowers in spring — the cherry blossoms in mid-March are among the most beautiful in Provence.

The Producers' Market and Candied Fruits

The heart of the Cherry Festival is the grand producers' market that sets up in the streets of Apt. Arborists from the Pays d'Apt present their fresh cherries, artisanal jams, cherry liqueurs, and brandied cherries. The sweet and tangy scent of cherries fills the alleys of the old town.

The confectioners of Apt naturally hold a place of honor. The candied fruit houses of the town — some of which perpetuate recipes centuries old — present their candied cherries in all their forms: whole cherries in syrup, candied cherries coated in crystallized sugar, chocolate-covered cherries, fruit pastes, and candies. Confiture demonstrations attract the curious who discover this traditional and demanding artisanal know-how.

Entertainment, Competitions, and Popular Traditions

The Cherry Festival is also a popular festival in the most festive sense of the term. Traditional competitions trigger laughter and enthusiasm from the public:

• The cherry pit spitting contest — who can spit their pit the farthest?
• The fastest cherry eater contest
• The most beautiful cherry contest — size, color, shine, and taste judged by a local jury
• Cherry braiding workshops for children, a manual tradition that involves tying two cherries by their stems

Provençal musicians, folk groups, and street artists liven up the squares of Apt throughout the festival. The farandole, a traditional Provençal dance, invites young and old to hold hands in a festive procession through the streets of the town.

Apt, Capital of Candied Fruits: A Visit is a Must

The Cherry Festival is the ideal opportunity to explore Apt and its rich heritage. The Sainte-Anne Cathedral (11th-17th centuries), whose treasury holds relics brought back from the Crusades, overlooks the old town. The Apt Museum retraces the history of the town and its artisanal productions — earthenware, ochres, and candied fruits — since Roman antiquity.

The confectionery shops of Apt are the unmissable attraction for gourmet visitors: Aptunion, Aptunion, and other houses offer their candied fruits in colorful boxes that make wonderful gifts. Apt's reputation for its candied citrons, figs, orangettes, and of course its cherries is international — major Parisian and London pastry shops still source their ingredients here.

The Saturday market in Apt, one of the busiest in Provence, extends the gourmet experience if the Cherry Festival coincides with a weekend. Local producers, antique dealers, and artisans gather in an authentic and warm Provençal atmosphere.