This weekend (this Bank Holiday weekend might I add), yes the final one is on Monday 29 May 2023, sees the arrival of people across the region and beyond, descend upon the small village of Saint Laurent De Cuves, approximately 15 minutes from our base here in Sourdeval.
The effort that goes into organising this event is immense with approximately, on average, 70,000 people turning up for the three day festival from all over France. The vast majority of the organisers are volunteers that help set up, serve people, man stalls etc. You will see all the farmers manouvre their tractors to put everything into operation and local businesses all getting involved. The locals are proud of their organisation of this event and so they should be!
I love driving through Saint Laurent de Cuves prior to the event, seeing the hive of activity as the event draws nearer there’s a real buzz around the surrounding villages.
The festival runs over the course of 3 days – Friday, Saturday and Sunday and Sunday is the family day.
Dotted around the villages you will find a free programme to the event which gives you all the stage locations, toilets and other useful bits and bobs. There is a cashless system once inside. You simply go online (all links are below) and top up your bracelet with money. You will get your bracelet once you arrive at the venue. At the end of the festival you simply request a refund (if you have any money owing) and it gets credited to your bank account. You can also download their app which will give you all the information you need.
There are also free concerts going on during the day, so if you wanted to experience the atmosphere of the revellers, but didn’t want to pay to go inside, I would highly recommend this. The food stands outside do accept cash and picnics were also welcome on the family day. The local bar, aptly named ‘le papillon’, is surprisingly easy to purchase a drink from.
The atmosphere is lovely inside, there are proper toilets and all the staff are friendly. There are charging point for phones, a family area and a Ferris wheel.
Our Social Media Queen availed herself of 3 day VIP tickets last year. Sadly, she has to ‘rough it’ this year.
So if you fancy going and can get your hands on some tickets (although most are sold out) then I would highly recommend it. It’s a great day out for all the family. Here are some handy links below to help you plan your visit:-
We hope you enjoyed this little insight into the biggest festival around! And don’t forget you will have to take a detour around this village during the 3 days.
