Pumpkin Festival

The Pumpkin Festival: a gourmet autumn in Cléré-du-Bois

Every year, on the third Sunday in November, the small village of Cléré-du-Bois in the Indre region is adorned with autumnal colors to host the Pumpkin Festival. Organized by the association Ensemble Jardinons, this friendly event celebrates gourds in all their forms and raises public awareness about environmentally friendly gardening practices.

The Ensemble Jardinons Association

The association Ensemble Jardinons, based in Cléré-du-Bois, aims to share diverse and nature-friendly gardening methods. Its members cultivate a wide variety of gourds throughout the year, intended to be exhibited and sold at the Pumpkin Festival. The association also organizes workshops and seed and plant exchanges throughout the year, thus contributing to the preservation of local vegetable biodiversity.

A colorful and gourmet market

The Pumpkin Festival takes over the village hall and its surroundings with a rich and varied program:

• Exhibition and sale of gourds: pumpkins, potimarrons, butternut squash, spaghetti squash, and many other varieties are presented and sold to the public. Visitors can discover surprising shapes and colors and leave with rare varieties for their gardens.
• Pumpkin soup bar: a must-have at the festival, where you can enjoy creamy soups prepared with gourds from the garden.
• Producers' and artisans' market: local products, plants, flowers, crafts, and original creations are offered by passionate exhibitors.
• Gourd-based meal: at lunchtime, a themed meal is offered by reservation, allowing guests to discover the culinary richness of these autumn vegetables.

Entertainment and conviviality

The Pumpkin Festival is enlivened by music throughout the day, creating a festive and warm atmosphere. Gardening workshops and advice exchanges between gardeners complete the program. The event is part of a waste reduction and sustainable development initiative, in conjunction with the European Week for Waste Reduction (EWWR). Around 450 visitors gather each year to share this friendly moment in the heart of the Berry countryside.

A village between heritage and nature

Cléré-du-Bois is a charming village located between Azay-le-Ferron and Châtillon-sur-Indre, in the north of the Indre department. Its hedgerow and wooded setting makes it a conducive place for gardening and living in harmony with nature, values promoted by the Ensemble Jardinons association and embodied during this autumn festival.