Grande Foire de la Saint-Martin du Blanc

A centuries-old fair in the capital of the Brenne

The Grande Foire de la Saint-Martin in Le Blanc is one of the oldest and most significant fairs in the Indre department. For centuries, on the Sunday before November 11th—the feast of Saint Martin—the town of Le Blanc has come alive with a massive commercial fair that draws visitors from across the Brenne and neighboring departments. This tradition keeps alive the great rural fairs that once defined the economic and social life of the Berry countryside.

Hundreds of traders in the town center

On the day of the fair, from 8 am to 6 pm, the boulevards and streets of Le Blanc's town center (Place André Gasnier, Rue Pierre Collin de Souvigny, Rue Saint-Honoré, Rue Gambetta, and Rue Maréchal-Leclerc) are packed with hundreds of itinerant traders, joining the usual weekly market. Stalls offer clothing, shoes, leather goods, food products, sweets, household items, and much more. The fair also features a flea market; registration for traders and antique dealers is handled by the Frery company, which organizes the event.

A two-week funfair

The Grande Foire de la Saint-Martin is accompanied by a funfair that sets up at the Le Blanc exhibition park for about two weeks around Saint Martin's Day. Around thirty showmen offer attractions for all ages: thrill rides, bumper cars, haunted houses, halls of mirrors, simulators, roller coasters, and rides for the little ones like caterpillars and trampolines.

Traditional games and sweets

The funfair also features games of skill and chance, such as rifle shooting, dart throwing, duck fishing, slot machines, and raffles. Food lovers can enjoy traditional fairground treats: cotton candy, candy apples, churros, crepes, and waffles.

An autumn highlight in the Indre

The Grande Foire de la Saint-Martin in Le Blanc is a staple of the Indre events calendar. It enlivens the town of Le Blanc, a sub-prefecture of the department and the capital of the Brenne, and remains a time for locals to reconnect. The funfair extends the festivities well beyond the Sunday of the fair itself.