Site de la Foire à La Latière

A fair listed as part of France’s Intangible Heritage.

The origins of this fair are hard to pin down, but we do know that it has been around since time immemorial.

Some say it was the result of meetings of brigands in the Double forest. It is said that the brigands would meet on fixed dates (30 April, 17 June, 17 July, 10 August and 10 September) to exchange the proceeds of their thefts with accomplices from neighbouring regions.

Religious pilgrimages may also have been a factor in the emergence of these fairs. In the Middle Ages, faith was very strong, pilgrimages were numerous and the route to Santiago de Compostela passed through La Latière. So it’s not hard to imagine that this place and its miraculous fountain were a stopping-off point on the way to Spain.

The Fair takes place every year on 30 April and 1 May. A second one is held on the 2nd Saturday in September.