August 10 & 11, 2024 Garlic Fair and farmers' market

Alert your taste buds!

The Garlic Fair awaits you in Billom, in the heart of Auvergne’s Tuscany. The Mediterranean sun invites itself right into your vacation. Every August 2ᵉ weekend, the town of Billom hosts the Garlic Fair. An event that has become a must for both Auvergne garlic fans and its producers. 200 exhibitors and 60 retailers attract nearly 20,000 visitors every year. In 2024, we look forward to seeing you on the free weekend of August 10 and 11 in the streets of Billom.

Billom, garlic heritage

The Garlic Fair is free and open to all, so come and enjoy a change of scene in Billom’s mild, almost Mediterranean air!

For four centuries, garlic cultivation in the Billomois region has contributed to the wealth of the merchant town. In this ” Tuscany of Auvergne “, so dear to the heart of Catherine de Médicis, pink garlic has benefited from the beneficial effects of the Limagne. As a result, well adapted to the clay-limestone soils andclimate of the Billom region, garlic grows in spring. Harvested in midsummer, it is then dried. Ailde Billom is distinguished by its pronounced taste and fragrance. If you take care to weave it, it retains its virtues all year round.

Today, pink garlic in Billom is produced by some thirty growers who uphold a centuries-old tradition. With the support of the Confrérie des Grands Goussiers, they are working to obtain a Protected Geographical Indication. In October 2018, “L’ail rose de Billom is included in France’s national inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICP) as part of the know-how linked to the cultivation of the Ail rose de Billom.” Billom’s garlic has been recognized in a major way.

Garlic from Auvergne, an enduring tradition of craftsmanship

Introduced to Auvergne by the Crusaders in the XIVᵉ century, garlic cultivation exploded in the XIXᵉ century in the Billomois region, an ideal terroir for its development. Over time, farmers and agricultural engineers combined their know-how and creativity to produce local varieties. With characteristic tastes and delicate colors.

Garlic grown in the Tuscany of the Auvergne has a distinct personality, similar to that of the land in which it grows. The pink garlic of Billom, with its lovely crimson color, is the most emblematic product of this age-old agriculture. These little jewels can also be white, black or violet. Planted in winter, garlic is harvested from mid-July onwards, before being air-dried. Harvesting by hand avoids damaging the bulbs, but can also be mechanized. The bunches of garlic are elegantly woven by hand and hung to dry – quite an art!

With its precious and authentic cultural and architecturalheritage, the beautiful medieval town of Billom deserves all its distinctions:Pays d’Art et d’Histoire and Site Remarquable du Goût labels. The Foire à l’Ail Rose de Billom is a festive highlight of the town’s rich heritage, and well worth a visit!

La Foire à l'ail rose, au vin et à la brocante, a taste of summer!

The event brings together 200 exhibitors and 60 retailers, and attracts almost 20,000 visitors. Because in Billom, garlic is an institution that is honored, perpetuated and promoted, under the impetus of the Confrérie des Grands Goussiers and theChamps d’ail association.

Beyond these few figures, the Foire à l’ail de Billom is first and foremost a celebration of pink garlic, a true emblem. Close to the old streets of the town, where it was once sold for money, around the market stalls, garlic gives all the products of a terroir its touch of roundness. Its white color is a promise of flavor. It’s impossible to stroll along without thinking of a little Sunday recipe.

As you stroll through the narrow streets, between half-timbered houses and the remains of the medieval walls, the garage sale, the flea market and the sounds of music make the Foire à l’Ail rose a charming and convivial destination.

Garlic competitions.

Over these two days, producers showcase their finest garlic and their most attractive displays. Entries are classified according to presentation (bunches, clusters, bouquets, braids). The Garlic Fair is also a local market, and you’ll find plenty to fill your basket at every stand. Côtes d’Auvergne wines will also be in the spotlight, through a competition. In fact, there will be several competitions: for the best garlic, the most beautiful stand, colorful and wrapped, or the most beautiful braiding. Direct sales, recipes and culinary uses of garlic, braiding workshops: the flavours and traditions of Auvergne garlic are revealed.

Accommodation and restaurants in Billom

To make the most of this exceptional weekend, find accommodation and restaurants around the town of Billom.

Lodgings
Restaurants