Fête du Piment - the chilli festival in France

The village of Espelette in the Basque region of France is known for the aromatic, fruity and slightly hot Piment d`Espelette chilli. The village itself is almost hidden away in the Pyrenees and, with just over 2,000 inhabitants, can still be described as small. But the houses with their unique red half-timbering and colourful shutters, which often squeak slightly when opened, immediately reveal a liveliness that you can only experience if you wander through the alleyways yourself.
If you then let your gaze wander over the neighbouring hills on a hill, you can see the bushy plants of the Piment d`Espelette chilli almost everywhere.
If you have the chance to stroll through the rows before the harvest, you will see masses of red chilli peppers glistening in the sun, inviting you to taste them.

Protected speciality

Just as real champagne can only come from the Champagne region, piment d`Espelette was also awarded the AOC (Appellation d`Origine Controlée) designation of origin in 2000. In the course of European harmonisation, the AOC designation of origin was changed to AOP (Appellation d`Origine Protégée) in May 2009.
The chillies are specially tested and labelled in order to be recognised as "Piment d`Espelette". A kind of hype / cult has actually arisen around the brand from the Basque region, which is of course being fuelled by the residents of the region.

Harvest at the end of summer

When the days in the Espelette region get shorter at the end of summer and the sun loses its intensity, the harvest of the famous Piment d`Espelette begins.
The juicy red chillies are hand-picked from the bushes. Some of the magnificent deep red pods are used for production; others are taken to the village to be hung on the houses as decoration, as in the past.
The chillies are strung in long chains, called ristras, and hung from specially made brackets under windows.

The chilli festival Fête du Piment

The end of the harvest season is celebrated with a crowning glory: the Fête du Piment, which has been held on the last weekend of October since 1967 and is an almost unique festival in France.
However, to declare it a French folk festival would probably offend the Basques a little, as they consider themselves neither French nor Spanish, but are and remain Basque. They organise the festival as a large community in honour of their beloved Piment d`Espelette.

The Fête du Piment is organised by several of the surrounding villages together with Espelette and is a weekend of parties, people and community. During this time, Espelette is a small village that is almost bursting at the seams.
One of the big highlights of the festival is the fascinating market with all kinds of stalls around the chilli, which runs through the whole town and where young folk music bands constantly spread the atmosphere with melodic and danceable rhythms. The market also has all sorts of culinary delights on offer.
From delicious Basque axoa with veal, hearty grilled sausages refined with piment d`Espelette to steaks with chilli marinade, grilled octopus, cheese with piment d`Espelette and tasty breads, there is nothing left to be desired.
The vendors also sell fresh chillies, beautifully tied ristras, delicious, aromatic chilli powder and Basque ham with chilli powder.
When you smell and see these local specialities, your mouth immediately starts to water as you stroll through the market and you want to try everything.

Fête du Piment - the programme

When you consider how much effort the Basques put into this two-day festival, you are even more fascinated by the whole thing. There is so much on offer that you never know what to see next.
Nevertheless, we have a few insights for you:
On the first day of the festival, Saturday, it is an absolute must to listen to the local music groups and their cheerful and rousing performances and to watch the Basque dances that the local groups perform for the visitors. You can almost feel the joie de vivre in your body.
You are immediately mesmerised and after a short time you feel like clapping and dancing or at least tapping your foot;)

The popular dinner with entertainment in the local market halls and restaurants, where every inch of space is filled with tables and chairs, is the perfect way to end the evening. Here, people often sit close together, the most delicious food in front of them, watching the dancing couples, listening to the rousing rhythms of the music and completely surrendering to the atmosphere.
The exciting market day ends late into the night with festive customs.

The festive Sunday then begins with a solemn mass, which - if you look around carefully - everyone in Espelette seems to be waiting for. The piment d`Espelette is blessed in the church and celebrated with a choir and drum groups.
At midday, the brotherhoods parade through the streets of Espelette in a rousing procession, during which the music groups play popular but also modern and very rousing music, inspiring people and encouraging them to join in.
The clapping and cheering can be heard throughout the streets and every chilli fan should experience this at least once.

The unprecedented "Fête du Piment" bids farewell to its enraptured visitors with the awarding of the chilli prize, the gala dinner of the brotherhoods and the festival of bands. When the squeaky shutters are closed, the last lights are switched off and peace returns to the village, everyone is already looking forward to next year, when the festival will be organised again with just as much fun and passion. Because even though many things have changed over the years, the festival is a great constant in the culture of the Basques.

Let yourself be inspired by the flair of the region and celebrate according to the motto: "La vie est belle" (Life is beautiful!).

A little extra tip:
Always book early, as the local hotels and guesthouses only have limited capacity for visitors.

Date 2024:

Saturday, 26 October to Sunday, 27 October 2024

The provisional programme for this year:

Saturdays:

- Basque dances
- Performance by the men`s choir
- Entertainment in the village with bands and bandas
- Popular dinner with entertainment in the market halls

Sunday:

- Solemn mass for the blessing of the chilli with choir and drum group
- Parade of the brotherhoods through the town
- Awarding of the chilli prize
- Aperitif in all the city`s restaurants
- Gala dinner for the brotherhoods
- Festival of bands

On both days there will be a gastronomic fair with all kinds of drinks, food, exciting chilli products and impressive chilli decorations.