Foire aux Haricots d'Arpajon
The centennial bean fair, an agricultural and popular institution of Essonne
2026
About Foire aux Haricots
Foire aux Haricots — edition 2026
The 93rd Foire aux Haricots d'Arpajon takes place from Friday, September 18th to Sunday, September 20th, 2026, in the town center. This year's edition celebrates gastronomy, with the return of the national cooking competition "Le Haricot dans tous ses états" under the historic market hall, presided over by Guillaume Gomez. The program also features the Grande Rue street sale, a funfair, an auto show, a home, garden, and crafts exhibition, the rural area in the Parc de la Folatière, live concerts, and various activities hosted by local associations. Free admission, 350 exhibitors.
2026 Edition
The fair opens on Friday, September 18th at 2:00 PM and closes at 8:00 PM. On Saturday the 19th and Sunday the 20th, it is open from 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM. The organizer, 2R Expo, expects 350 exhibitors, 150,000 visitors over the three days, and 80 rides at the funfair. Municipal decree ST/2026/120 sets the commercial fair hours from 3:00 PM to 10:00 PM on Friday, 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM on Saturday, and 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM on Sunday, while the funfair runs from 2:00 PM to 11:00 PM on Friday, 2:00 PM to 1:00 AM on Saturday, and 2:00 PM to 8:00 PM on Sunday.
Gastronomy at the Heart of the Event
The municipality has made "fine dining" the focus of this 93rd edition. The national cooking competition "Le Haricot dans tous ses états" returns to the historic market hall: Guillaume Gomez, Meilleur Ouvrier de France and chef at the Élysée Palace for 20 years, will chair a jury of six personalities. About ten gastronomic brotherhoods from across France will parade on Saturday at 10:00 AM from the town hall square, and local volunteers have reactivated the Confrérie du haricot d'Arpajon. The Île-de-France region will host its "Cité de la Gastronomie" alongside the Essonne local produce fair.
Twinning
Arpajon welcomes its twin towns, Freising in Bavaria and Arpajon-sur-Cère in the Cantal. The twinning ceremony takes place on Saturday, September 19th at 6:00 PM, and the Arpajonnais from the Cantal will serve traditional truffade under the market hall.
Access and Traffic
The fair perimeter is enclosed and marked by entrances staffed by security personnel. Traffic is prohibited day and night from Friday, September 18th at 4:00 AM until Monday, September 21st at 5:00 AM, and parking is progressively restricted starting Sunday, September 13th through Sunday, September 20th. The Victor Hugo, town center, Verdié, and Jeu de Paume parking lots remain open 24/7 from Friday, September 18th at 5:00 AM to Monday, September 21st at 8:00 AM. The train station parking and the regional parking lot will host the funfair. From Monday, September 14th at 6:00 AM to Monday, September 21st at 5:00 AM, the bus terminus moves from Porte d'Étampes to Porte de Paris, on Avenue de la Division Leclerc. The Friday, September 18th market is relocated to Rue Paul Demange.
Highlights Foire aux Haricots 2026
- 93rd edition, September 18-20, 2026, themed around gastronomy
- Return of the national cooking competition "Le Haricot dans tous ses états," jury chaired by Guillaume Gomez, Meilleur Ouvrier de France
- Saturday, September 19: Jean-Jacques Goldman Tribute concert at 7:00 PM, Soul Power at 8:30 PM
- Parade of about ten gastronomic brotherhoods on Saturday, September 19 at 10:00 AM
- Street sale on Grande Rue Saturday and Sunday, 80-ride funfair open until 1:00 AM on Saturday
- 350 exhibitors, 150,000 visitors expected over three days, free admission
Programme Foire aux Haricots 2026
Friday, September 18, 2026
Fair open from 2:00 PM to 8:00 PM.
- 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM — Musical entertainment · Cité de la Gastronomie, under the market hall
Saturday, September 19, 2026
Fair open from 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM.
Cité de la Gastronomie, under the market hall
- 10:00 AM — Opening of the gastronomy hub
- 10:40 AM — Inauguration ceremony
- 10:45 AM — Presentation of candidates and the national gastronomy competition jury
- 11:00 AM — National gastronomy competition "Le Haricot dans tous ses états"
- 11:30 AM — Brotherhood ceremonies
- 12:00 PM — Live: "Perfect Mood" duo
- 12:30 PM — Culinary show with Nomad
- 2:30 PM — Tasting workshop of Île-de-France products
- 4:00 PM — Cooking competition awards ceremony
- 4:30 PM — Live: "Citizen Kane"
- 5:00 PM — Grand gastronomic demonstration
- 7:00 PM — Jean-Jacques Goldman Tribute concert · main stage
- 8:30 PM — Soul Power concert · main stage
Association hub activities
- Gaming tables with Jouer sans Tyché
- 4:00 PM — Theater, Bleu Nomade company
- 6:00 PM — Twinning ceremony with Freising and Arpajon-sur-Cère
- 7:00 PM — Salsa night with Barber 66
In the streets
- 10:00 AM — Brotherhood parade, starting from the town hall square
- 3:00 PM — "Tchoutchouka" brass band, South American vibes
- 10:00 AM - 8:00 PM — Street sale · Grande Rue
- 2:00 PM - 1:00 AM — Grand funfair · Porte d'Étampes, Avenue Aristide Briand, station parking
- Treasure hunt throughout the city
Sunday, September 20, 2026
Fair open from 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM.
Cité de la Gastronomie, under the market hall
- 9:30 AM — Opening of the gastronomy hub
- 10:00 AM — History of the Arpajon Bean and the Fair
- 10:30 AM — Culinary show with Nomad
- 11:30 AM — Gastronomic challenges
- 12:00 PM — Live: "Anamar's Cover Band"
- 12:30 PM — Presentation of the brotherhoods
- 1:00 PM — World tour of the bean
- 3:00 PM — Grand Bean Fair Quiz
- 5:00 PM — Grand public tasting
- 5:30 PM — People's Choice Award and partner acknowledgments
- 6:00 PM — Official closing of the gastronomy hub
Association hub activities
- 10:00 AM — "Color run" with the Athletic Club Arpajonnais
- Gaming tables with Jouer sans Tyché
- 2:00 PM — Country dance demonstration
- 3:00 PM — Concert by the Société Musicale d'Arpajon
- 4:00 PM — Theater, Bleu Nomade company
In the streets
- 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM — Chess Open · Résidence les Tamaris, 46 Avenue Hoche
- 10:00 AM - 8:00 PM — Street sale · Grande Rue
- 2:00 PM - 8:00 PM — Grand funfair · Porte d'Étampes, Avenue Aristide Briand, station parking
- Treasure hunt throughout the city
Spaces open during the three days
- Cité de la Gastronomie · under the market hall — national gastronomy competition, restaurants, food trucks, regional products, sale of Chevrier beans, truffade with the Arpajonnais from the Cantal. About ten brotherhoods represent French regional gastronomy, with entertainment by NTV media.
- Association hub · town hall square — stands from AVMC, Arpajon merchants' association, Confrérie du Haricot Chevrier, French Red Cross, Arpajon Philatelic Society, Art and History of the Pays de Châtres, CLAR, COMRA, Photo Club Arpajon, Rando Arpajon, ESRA, Football Club 91 Arpajon - Egly - La Norville, Arpajon Rugby XV, Ateliers 29
- Rural area · Parc de la Folatière — traditional crafts, vintage tractors, Île-de-France and Tourisme Essonne labeled producers, departmental heritage exhibition
- Auto show · Boulevard Abel Cornaton
- Home, garden, and crafts exhibition · Boulevard Abel Cornaton
- Wellness and crafts area · Boulevard Abel Cornaton
- Prevention and defense area · Espace Concorde parking — 121st Train Regiment, airsoft electronic target activity with Gunsmith Arpajon
- Institutional area · Place du Marché — stands from the Île-de-France Region, Essonne Tourisme, Cœur d'Essonne Agglomération (bio-waste sorting awareness), and CCI Essonne
- Model railroading · 100 Grande Rue
- Creators' hub
- Street sale · Grande Rue — Arpajon merchants and vendors, Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM
- Grand funfair · Porte d'Étampes, Avenue Aristide Briand, Place de la Gare, regional parking lot, Lycée Michelet square, and Boulevard Jean Jaurès — 80 rides, open from 2:00 PM to 11:00 PM Friday, 2:00 PM to 1:00 AM Saturday, and 2:00 PM to 8:00 PM Sunday
Concerts are also scheduled under the market hall and at the Place du Marché dining area during meal times.
Prices Foire aux Haricots 2026
Street sale open to visitors from 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM, Grande Rue, Saturday, September 19 and Sunday, September 20.
Street sale pitch for professional exhibitors: €23 per meter for both days, by mail registration before July 3, 2026, with professional ID or Kbis extract.
Free parking around the fair perimeter and a guarded bicycle parking area.
Practical information — Foire aux Haricots
Practical Information
Location
Arpajon town center, 91290, Essonne. The fair spans the Grande Rue, the town hall square (parvis de l'hôtel de ville), the Place du Marché, Boulevard Abel Cornaton, Parc de la Folatière, the Espace Concorde parking lot, and the Porte d'Étampes area.
Admission
Free entry. The fairgrounds are enclosed, with access points monitored by security personnel.
Opening Hours
The organizers announce the following hours: Friday from 2:00 PM to 8:00 PM, and Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM. The funfair stays open later than the rest of the fair; exact hours are set annually by municipal decree and are listed in the event program.
By Train
Arpajon station is served by the RER C line, on the Dourdan - Invalides branch via Brétigny. Allow 35 minutes from Bibliothèque François-Mitterrand and 45 minutes from Saint-Michel Notre-Dame, with trains running approximately every half hour. The Place de la Gare borders the fairgrounds.
By Car
Access via the N20, the former Paris-Orléans national road, taking the Arpajon exit. During the fair, traffic is prohibited within the entire perimeter, and parking is suspended several days in advance, including at the station parking lot. The town publishes annual decrees specifying which parking lots remain open and where pedestrian entrances are located. Free parking areas are signposted around the perimeter, along with a secure bicycle parking facility.
Contact
Official website: www.foire-arpajon.fr. Commercial organization: 2R Expo, 1 impasse Robert Srebot, 91070 Bondoufle, 06 68 54 23 20, [email protected]. Arpajon Town Hall: 70 Grande Rue, 01 69 26 15 05.
From an agricultural fair to a national event
The Foire aux Haricots was established in Arpajon in 1922 as an agricultural showcase. It became a regional fair in 1938, saw a surge in popularity after World War II, and drew 300,000 visitors by 1968. In 1970, it was officially designated a national fair. Its reputation is primarily built on its gastronomic competition, held since 1952, which celebrates the famous 'chevrier' bean every year.
The 'chevrier' bean
The 'chevrier' is a type of flageolet bean whose unique qualities were discovered in 1872 by Gabriel Chevrier, a horticulturist from Brétigny-sur-Orge born in 1824. Fearing frost, he brought his bean plants in earlier than planned and hung them in a shed to finish drying. A few weeks later, the beans had retained their green color, cooked more easily than dried beans, and tasted as if they had been freshly harvested. He repeated the experiment the following year by drying the plants away from light under straw stacks known as 'tontines'—and the Chevrier technique was born. Without a patent, the method spread among other growers, and the 'chevrier' soon accounted for three-quarters of the French land dedicated to shelling beans. Brétigny-sur-Orge erected a statue to Gabriel Chevrier in 1934. In Arpajon, the bean is also celebrated as a nougatine treat sold by local chocolatiers and bakers.
A commercial and festive fair
Since the mid-1980s, the fair has taken on a more festive dimension, featuring a funfair, arts and crafts exhibitions, a floral competition, and a display of traditional trades. The armed forces have long maintained a defense pavilion there. Merchants, artisans, and professionals from diverse sectors travel from across France and abroad to participate, while local Arpajon associations host stands on the town hall square. The commercial organization is managed by the company 2R Expo, based in Bondoufle.
Where does it take place — Foire aux Haricots
Foire aux Haricots in brief
History of Foire aux Haricots
Edition 2025 Sep 2025Other festivals near Arpajon
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