Pernes-les-Fontaines - What to do in summer?
Discover the annual events in Pernes-les-Fontaines, from the end of June to the end of September! From markets to festivals in the purest tradition of the South of France.
JUNE, JULY & AUGUST | "Les courses Camarguaises"
Every summer, the municipal arenas of Pernes-les-Fontaines host "Les courses Camarguaises", an institution! Discover this sport where the bull is the star...
The aim of this bullfighting game is to retrieve various attributes attached to the bull's horns: a cockade (red), two tassels (white tassels) and the strings (yellow before, then 'natural' now), in that order. To do this, the raseteur uses a hook with sharp teeth. The man causes the animal to charge, evades and jumps the barrier to take shelter (relatively...).
But the star is the bull. We appreciate his fighting spirit, his sense of placement (which he learns over the course of the races)... It is his name that appears in large numbers on the posters and that attracts spectators.
After his performance (10 min), he returns to his pasture, where he will retire. The career of a beribboned bull lasts about ten years. If he is famous, a stele will be dedicated to him, or even a statue like Camarina de la Manade Chauvet, triple 'Bioù d'or' (best bull of the year).
JULY | The melon and local produce market
Did you know that? Vaucluse is ranked among the most melon-producing departments, and it is the precious water from the Carpentras Canal that favors significant melon production in Comtat Venaissin. The Association of Commerçants et Artisans Pernois(ACAP) has been giving us an appointment for nearly 25 years for the melon and local produce market
In mid-July, the "Quai de Verdun" diffuses the characteristic good smell of melons. This iconic festival has innovated for its 24th edition by offering a semi-nocturnal version of its market, with multiple taste flavors, as well as a multitude of activities.
JULY | Les Talents d'Ici Market
The Pernes les Fontaines Tourist information centre has been organizing the Talens d'Ici Market for about 10 years. This market is held every summer around mid-July in the gardens of the Tourist Office. The entire day is then dedicated to craftspersons and local producers, permanent exhibitors of the Talents d'Ici market (exhibition space at the heart of the Tourist Office dedicated to craftspeople and local producers).
This event is a wonderful opportunity to discover and meet passionate men and women with unique skills who will share the secrets of their know-how with you.
JULY | The pottery market
Lovers of pottery, are you looking for a unique, artisanal and artistic production? You are in the right place! This is an event that contributes to making Pernes-les-Fontaines a “City of Crafts and Art”, through the quality and diversity of creations, in the various techniques of glazed clay, stoneware, porcelain...
It is on the Quai de Verdun, in the shade of the plane trees, that around thirty potters and ceramists usually meet, in the second half of July. On the program: musical entertainment, modeling workshops, demonstrations...
JULY | Pernes en musique
On the occasion of two evenings at the end of July, Pernes-les-Fontaines delights music lovers who love classical music, but also those who are less so: offered by the city in partnership with the association 'Musique et Culture Ensemble”, Pernes en musique aims to promote so-called classical music by addressing all audiences.
You will discover national and international artists recognized in their field. It is an institution here: the festival has existed since 2006! Each year, more than a thousand people are expected for this timeless moment!
AUGUST | The Font'Arts Festival
For more than 20 years, every summer, this festival has offered you artistic proposals for 3 days around various themes related to street art:
- theater, circus, dance, magic, pyrotechnics, puppets, stories...
Completely free, the festival awaits you the first weekend of August!
More info HERE!
JULY & AUGUST | Lantern walks
They are eagerly awaited! Every summer, the members of the 'Confrérie des Lanterniers' accompany you at nightfall in the ancient streets, to discover the traditions and treasures of the city.
Visitors then discover, by the light of the lanterns, the architectural treasures as well as the legends and anecdotes of Pernes-les-Fontaines.
AUGUST | Saint Roch's local saint's day festival
For 4 days in the second half of August, the festival is in full swing, chichis, candied apples, ice cream cones and other churros. In addition to the funfair, petanque competitions, fishing initiations for young people, concerts and various activities are on the agenda. The frosting on the cake on the last day: a big firework takes place at the most beautiful monument in the city: the Porte Notre Dame!
This festival is also under the sign of tradition and Saint-Roch, with a procession on the festival Sunday by the volunteers of the association 'Li Manteneire de San Ro', from the Collegiate Church of Our Lady of Nazareth to the Saint-Roch Chapel. Finally, the unmissable Camargue race is here, to the delight of spectators!
SEPTEMBER | Heritage Day
Since 1980, and every four years, the Heritage Festival has become the unmissable event and a significant event for the city of Pernes-les-Fontaines.
For 3 days, the entire village makes a move back of a century to recreate the atmosphere of olden times.
It is an authentic festival, which allows you to revive the heritage of know-how and traditions in each of the villages located at the foot of the Giant of Provence, Mont Ventoux.
The intramural is transformed into a vast pedestrian area where everyone revives, with the greatest fidelity, the village of the beginning of the century. Streets, squares and monuments live to the rhythm of the past, with the serenity of traveling on foot, on horseback or by bicycle.
Thus, the ancient center of Pernes-les-Fontaines underwent a metamorphosis where most of the inhabitants put on the traditional Comtadine costume and brought out the machines and the tools of the past.
Nothing folk, however, just a respectful tribute and... More than a simple celebration of traditions, a real journey through time!
For the next Heritage Day in 2028, more info HERE!
And many other activities: exhibitions, concerts, shows, garage sales, etc!
Check out our event calendar as we go to keep up to date.
