Foire aux Oignons de Givet

A Centuries-Old Fair in the Heart of the Ardennes

The Foire aux Oignons de Givet is one of the oldest and most important traditional fairs in northeastern France. Its origins date back to 1530, when a large fair was held on the Saturday before Saint-Martin's Day, which is November 11th. In 1617, Archdukes Albert and Isabella established a fair reserved for their subjects furthest from the Empire's borders. It was a decree from Napoleon, signed on December 12, 1806, from his imperial headquarters in Posen, that definitively set the dates for the Givet fairs, including the Saint-Martin's Day fair, which became the famous Foire aux Oignons.

500 Street Vendors and Tens of Thousands of Visitors

Every November 11th, the main streets of Givet transform into a vast open-air market. Approximately 500 street vendors from all over France set up their stalls along the town's arteries, offering an extraordinarily diverse range of products: onions in all their forms (braids, bunches, bags), local products (cheeses, cured meats, honeys, jams, gingerbread), textiles, flea market items, hardware, toys, and household goods. Between 20,000 and 40,000 visitors flock from neighboring regions—Nord-Pas-de-Calais, Meuse, Lorraine—as well as from Belgium and Luxembourg.

The Onion, King of the Festival

While the fair today offers a wide variety of products, the onion remains the undisputed symbol and king of the day. Mountains of onions of all varieties—yellow, red, white, sweet Cévennes onions—are piled high on the stalls, perfuming the streets with their characteristic aroma. Braids of onions hanging from the awnings of the stands are an emblematic image of the fair. Beyond commerce, the onion is celebrated as a local product in its own right, recalling the agricultural origins of this event which once brought together no less than 500 head of cattle from Belgium.

A Day of Popular Celebration

The Foire aux Oignons is much more than just a market: it is a true popular festival that enlivens the entire town of Givet. Food stalls offer local specialties—onion soup, galettes, fries, waffles, and mulled wine—while musical entertainment and funfair attractions complete the program. Families come to spend the day, taking advantage of the public holiday to stroll among the stalls, do their shopping, and share a moment of conviviality. The warm and festive atmosphere makes this day an unmissable event for the entire tip of the Ardennes.

Givet, Border Town in the Tip of the Ardennes

Givet is the northernmost municipality in the Ardennes department, nestled in a bend of the Meuse River on the Belgian border. Dominated by the majestic Fort de Charlemont, a fortress built by Charles V in 1555 and reinforced by Vauban, the town boasts a rich historical and military heritage. Its border position gives it a unique identity, at the crossroads of French and Belgian cultures, which is reflected in the Foire aux Oignons where French and Belgian visitors mingle in a friendly cross-border atmosphere.