Autumn 2026 fairs and festivals in Auvergne: the dates worth the trip

Between the herds coming down at Besse in late September and the mushrooms of Saint-Bonnet-le-Froid in early November, autumn is the season when Auvergne tells its story best: roasted chestnuts, apples from the terraces of Massiac, prize livestock and whole villages partying for a weekend. We've sorted through it all, and here is the calendar of what is really worth the trip across the four départements. With, each time, what you actually do there and our tip for enjoying it at the right moment.

01Autumn of the terroirs, in brief

In summer, Auvergne is for visiting. In autumn, it's for tasting. Each festival has its reason for being: the Dévalade marks the return of the herds brought down from the summer pastures, the Mourjou fair mobilises 200 volunteers in a village of 360 inhabitants, the Palhàs celebrate the apples of the old terraced hillsides. You go to eat, chat, buy directly from producers. And the calendar links up nicely: the Dévalade in Besse in late September, then three weekends in a row in October, the 10th-11th, the 17th-18th and the 24th-25th, and the mushrooms on 7 and 8 November. For the rest of the season, our guide to autumn in Auvergne takes over.

02The 2026 calendar, in order

A word first about the great absentee from this calendar: the Fêtes Renaissance du Roi de l'Oiseau take over Le Puy-en-Velay in mid-September, just before the fair season kicks off. Note that week for your future autumns in Haute-Loire. The calendar that follows, for its part, is packed.

The Dévalade in Besse, 25 to 28 September

Four days of patron saint festival in the medieval town of Besse, to mark the return of the herds and of the statue of Notre-Dame de Vassivière, taken up to the summer pastures in July and brought back down into town on the Sunday after Saint-Matthieu's day. On the 2026 programme: an accordion gala on the Friday evening (booking required), the Saint-Matthieu fair and the département draught horse competition on the Saturday, a brass band parade then the descent of the statue on the Sunday, fireworks at nightfall, and even a pétanque grand prix on the Monday. Funfair rides on all four days, and admission is free apart from the Friday gala, the Saturday dance and the pétanque competition.

Our tip: it's on Sunday 27 that everything happens. The procession leaves Vassivière in the evening and the town welcomes it at 20:30, decked with blue and white banners, under rifle volleys and fireworks: it's a moment like nothing else in the region.

The Sommet de l'Élevage in Cournon-d'Auvergne, 6 to 9 October

Let's be honest: the Sommet (the livestock summit) is first and foremost a trade show, the major worldwide event for sustainable livestock farming. Farmers come to sell, buy and compete. But it is well and truly open to the public: entry €14 a day, free for under-14s, from 08:30 to 19:00 (closing at 17:30 on Friday), at the Grande Halle d'Auvergne. And for that price, you move among around 2,000 animals of 70 breeds, with competitions all day: in 2026, it's the national Limousin breed competition that is held there.

Our tip: the site is huge, with nearly 1,800 exhibitors announced. Aim for the competition rings and the animal halls rather than trying to see everything.

The Embouteillage in Lapalisse (the traffic jam), 8 to 11 October

The most offbeat event of this autumn, and it only takes place in even-numbered years: Lapalisse, in the Allier, re-enacts the legendary traffic jam on the Nationale 7, the one from the holiday departures towards the Côte d'Azur in the 1950s and 60s. Hundreds of vintage vehicles (cars, caravans, lorries, bicycles, scooters), passengers in period dress, staged or improvised scenes: a real retro party. The 2026 edition, the eleventh, marks the event's 20th anniversary, with the big reconstructed traffic jam as the high point on Saturday.

Our tip: play along. A checked short-sleeved shirt, cat-eye glasses, and you won't be a spectator but an extra. That's the whole difference.

The Chestnut Fair in Mourjou, 17 and 18 October

The 35th edition of this big village festival, at Mourjou (commune of Puycapel), in the heart of the Châtaigneraie (the chestnut country), in the far south of the Cantal. A village of 360 inhabitants welcoming more than 20,000 visitors over the weekend, carried by 200 volunteers: we'll let you imagine the atmosphere. Market of chestnut growers from several départements, chestnuts roasted in a perforated pan, cider, guided hikes, storytelling, street music, children's games and concerts.

Our tip: book the Sunday evening meal, the Sunday afternoon concert and the hikes online by 15 October. Once there, leave the car at one of the free car parks set up on the edge of the village: everything is done on foot afterwards. And leave with a bag of fresh chestnuts, they keep very well for a few weeks somewhere cool.

The Fête des Palhàs in Massiac, 24 and 25 October

The palhàs are the old cultivation terraces that tier the hillsides around Massiac, between the Cantal and Haute-Loire. The festival that bears their name marks its 30th edition in 2026: sellers of apples and seasonal fruit, apple pâtés (apple pastries), fritters, pachades, pressed juice, mulled wine and roast chestnuts, prepared by the volunteers of the organising association. It all takes place in the centre of Massiac, on the Place du Docteur Moret and the Place du Foirail, with free access.

Our tip: come with an empty shopping bag and an empty stomach. The apple pâté is the real reason to make the trip. Take two, the first won't survive the journey home.

The Apple Festival in Champétières, Sunday 25 October

Same weekend, different atmosphere: in the Livradois, near Ambert, Champétières celebrates the apple on Sunday 25 October from 08:00 to 18:00 in the village. Market, flea market and car boot sale, walking routes with refreshment stops, a meal and a show on the theme of the 1960s to 80s. It's smaller than Massiac, more local, and that's precisely what gives it its charm.

Our tip: if you're staying on the eastern side of the Puy-de-Dôme or in Haute-Loire, it's the smart option of the weekend. The walking routes, autumn mist over the Livradois included, are worth the early start.

The Château de Murol during Toussaint (the autumn school holidays), 17 October to 1 November

The Château de Murol opens every day from 17 October to 1 November, with guided tours in costume led by the characters of Guillaume's court. In the chapel, La Fête des Morts tells tales and legends of the Middle Ages for half an hour, from 18 October to 1 November except on Saturdays. And the equestrian show Le Duel des Frères runs from 18 to 30 October, Saturdays excepted. Everything is included in the ticket, no booking needed, and the setting, on this basalt promontory facing the Sancy massif in October colours, does the rest.

Our tip: combine the visit with the surroundings. We've gathered our ideas for the period in our guide what to do at Toussaint in Auvergne.

The Mushroom Festival in Saint-Bonnet-le-Froid, 7 and 8 November

The grand finale of autumn, in Haute-Loire, on the edge of the Ardèche. Saint-Bonnet-le-Froid, a village made famous by its chefs, puts mushrooms in the spotlight for a whole weekend: dried mushroom market, producers' market, mycological exhibition, cooking demonstrations by chefs from the region, tastings, and more than 200 exhibitors spread across the village.

Our tip: it's the perfect outing to close the mushroom season. If you want to arrive as a connoisseur, or extend into the forest the next day, our guide to mushrooms in Auvergne gives you the basics, from picking spots to the rules to follow.

And the farmhouse saint-nectaire fair?

We know you're looking for it, so we'll answer frankly: the big saint-nectaire events are in spring and summer. In the Sancy, the market of the Sites remarquables du goût (outstanding taste sites) takes over Saint-Nectaire on Whitsun weekend, and the national wine and cheese fair in Besse follows in July.

In the meantime, two safe bets all year round: La Maison du Fromage in Saint-Nectaire to understand maturing, and our guide to AOP (protected designation of origin) saint-nectaire for choosing a real farmhouse one from the producers. Allow at least 28 days in the cellar for a large-format saint-nectaire, 21 for a smaller one: on site, ask the producer how long theirs has been there.

03The recap in one table

04How we choose: our clear-cut take

Only one weekend to fit in this autumn? Mourjou, no hesitation. It's the festival that condenses everything we love: a whole village mobilised, a star product, visitors who come back every year the way you go back to see family. On 17 and 18 October, there is nothing better in the region.

With children, aim instead for the Palhàs in Massiac: free access, everything happens in the village, the apple fritters work wonders on the under-tens. The Château de Murol during the Toussaint holidays is in the same category.

If it rains, and in October it rains, the Sommet de l'Élevage is the only one on the list that is enjoyed under cover in the halls. On a Tuesday or a Thursday, it's a surprisingly gripping outing, even if you know nothing about livestock farming.

Fans of village atmospheres will go for Champétières, which is more intimate. And the Embouteillage in Lapalisse is the joker: it only returns in even-numbered years, so not before 2028 if you miss it.

To cross-check these dates with the rest of the season, two things to reach for: our autumn page and the agenda.