CALENDAR
Santon Fairs in Provence: 2026 Calendar
Every santon fair of the 2026 season, from September 19 to January 3, in date order. Dates can change, so it’s always smart to call the organizer before you go. Planning a fall trip to Provence? Build it around this calendar. Know a fair we’re missing? Let us know. Listing it is free. For events outside France, see nativity fairs around the world.
This weekend
Exhibitions open those days
The season, September to January
The season runs for almost four months. It opens on September 19 in Saint-Privat, in the Ardèche, and wraps up on January 3 in Marseille, Théoule-sur-Mer and Aniane. Most fairs happen in the fall. The December ones overlap with the Christmas markets and draw bigger crowds.
People tend to shop differently at each. In the fall, they come with measurements and a list: filling out a nativity, replacing a broken piece, ordering a size they’re missing. In December, it’s more of a family outing, often to pick out this year’s new santon. Both are great.
There are two kinds of fairs. Most last a weekend (two or three days, often Friday to Sunday), and the santon makers are there in person. Others run for several weeks as exhibit-and-sale events in a town hall or library, where the makers aren’t there every day. If you want to meet the person who made your santon, go on a weekend.
As you’d expect, most fairs are in the heart of Provence: the Var, the Vaucluse, the Bouches-du-Rhône and the Gard. But you’ll also find them in the Hérault, the Ardèche, the Drôme, Savoie, and even around Paris. Provence doesn’t own the nativity, it just has the most fairs. The tradition goes beyond France too: see our separate list of nativity fairs around the world, including Barcelona (since 1786), Naples, Bologna, Munich, Kraków and Cusco.
The full calendar
Listed by start date. You can filter by month or by département. We only fill in the “location and hours” column when we’ve been able to confirm the details. A dash means we haven’t confirmed them with the town yet.
Dates are for guidance only. A fair can be moved, shortened or canceled without us hearing about it, and hours change from year to year. Call the town hall or tourist office before you go.
from fewest to most fairs
Filter by month
Filter by département
| 2026 dates | Town | Département | Location and hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| September | |||
| September 19–20 | Saint-Privat07200 | Ardèche | — |
| September 26–27 | La Motte-Servolex73290 | Savoie | Salle Les Pervenches, 197 rue Curé JacquierSat. 10 a.m.–6 p.m. · Sun. 10 a.m.–5 p.m. |
| September 26–27 | Le Pontet84130 | Vaucluse | Salle du Clos Notre-Dame, behind the church10 a.m.–6 p.m. |
| October | |||
| October 3–4 | Bollène84500 | Vaucluse | — |
| October 3–4 | Nîmes — Gard aux Santons30000 | Gard | — |
| October 10–11 | Le Plan-de-la-Tour83120 | Var | — |
| October 10–11 | Pernes-les-Fontaines84210 | Vaucluse | — |
| October 17–18 | Loriol-sur-Drôme26270 | Drôme | — |
| October 17–18 | Saint-Raphaël83700 | Var | — |
| October 17–18 | Sault84390 | Vaucluse | — |
| October 23 – November 1 | Gréoux-les-Bainsguide04800 | Alpes-de-Haute-Provence | Centre de Congrès l’Étoile, avenue Pierre Brossolettedaily 2–6 p.m. |
| October 23–25 | Sanary-sur-Mer83110 | Var | Port de Sanary9 a.m.–7 p.m. |
| October 24–25 | Brignoles83170 | Var | — |
| October 24 – November 1 | Grimaudguide83310 | Var | Salle Arthur Bauchet, 834 route des BlaquièresMon.–Fri. 2–6 p.m. · Sat. and Sun. 10 a.m.–noon and 2–6 p.m. |
| October 24–25 | Saint-Nazaire30200 | Gard | Complexe de la Bioune, rue de l’École10 a.m.–6 p.m. |
| October 24–25 | Serres05700 | Hautes-Alpes | — |
| October 24–25 | Vauvert30600 | Gard | — |
| October 31 – November 1 | Arles — the fairguide13200 | Bouches-du-Rhône | Chapelle Sainte-Anne, place de la République10 a.m.–6 p.m. |
| October 31 – November 1 | Cagnes-sur-Mer (Le Cros)06800 | Alpes-Maritimes | — |
| October 31 – November 1 | Fuveau13710 | Bouches-du-Rhône | — |
| October 31 – November 1 | Marguerittes30320 | Gard | — |
| November | |||
| November 1 – December 24 | Mouans-Sartouxguide06370 | Alpes-Maritimes | Médiathèque La Strada, place du Général de Gaulle2–6 p.m. |
| November 6–16 | Gap05000 | Hautes-Alpes | — |
| November 7–8 | Béziers34500 | Hérault | — |
| November 7–8 | Cabrières-d’Avignon84220 | Vaucluse | — |
| November 7–8 | Fontvieille13990 | Bouches-du-Rhône | — |
| November 7–15 | Garons30128 | Gard | — |
| November 7–8 | Saint-Martin-de-Valgalgues30520 | Gard | — |
| November 7–8 | Villevieille30250 | Gard | — |
| November 12–18 | Carpentras84200 | Vaucluse | Tourist office, 97 place du 25 août 194410 a.m.–6 p.m. weekdays, 10 a.m.–7 p.m. weekends |
| November 13 – December 31 | Aix-en-Provence13100 | Bouches-du-Rhône | — |
| November 13–29 | Six-Fours-les-Plages83140 | Var | Espace Jules de Greling, rue Marius Bondil |
| November 14 – January 10, 2027 | Arles — the international showguide13200 | Bouches-du-Rhône | Chapelle Sainte-Anne, place de la Républiquedaily 10 a.m.–6 p.m., except December 25 and January 1 |
| November 14 – December 27 | Aubagneguide13400 | Bouches-du-Rhône | Cours Maréchal Fochdaily 10 a.m.–7 p.m. |
| November 14–15 | La Cadière-d’Azur83740 | Var | Espace Culturel et Salle Fontanarosa, place Charles de Gaulle10 a.m.–7 p.m. |
| November 14–15 | La Fare-les-Oliviers13580 | Bouches-du-Rhône | — |
| November 14 – December 14 | La Valette-du-Var83160 | Var | Salle Le Lavoir, square OyhéréguyMon. 9 a.m.–12:30 p.m. · Tue.–Fri. 2–6 p.m. · Sat. and Sun. 10 a.m.–12:30 p.m. and 2–6 p.m. |
| November 15 | La Valette-du-Var — santon parade83160 | Var | Start: La Valette-du-Var town hall11 a.m. |
| November 14–15 | Les Taillades84300 | Vaucluse | — |
| November 14 – January 3, 2027 | Marseilleguide13001 | Bouches-du-Rhône | Quai du Port, Vieux-PortSun.–Thu. 10 a.m.–7 p.m. · Fri. and Sat. 10 a.m.–8 p.m. |
| November 14–15 | Martigues13500 | Bouches-du-Rhône | — |
| November 14–15 | Sorgues84700 | Vaucluse | Salle des fêtes, route d’Entraigues10 a.m.–6 p.m. |
| November 20–22 | Saint-Hippolyte-du-Fort30170 | Gard | — |
| November 21–22 | Cadenet84160 | Vaucluse | — |
| November 21 – December 13 | Carqueiranne83320 | Var | — |
| November 21 – December 20 | Lunel34400 | Hérault | — |
| November 21–22 | Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume83470 | Var | — |
| November 27 – December 6 | Meaux77100 | Seine-et-Marne | — |
| November 28 – December 31 | Avignon84000 | Vaucluse | Église des Célestins, place des Corps-Saintsdaily 10 a.m.–7 p.m. |
| November 28 – December 13 | Callian83440 | Var | — |
| November 28 – December 6 | Champtercier04660 | Alpes-de-Haute-Provence | — |
| November 28–29 | Châteauneuf-les-Martigues13220 | Bouches-du-Rhône | — |
| November 28–29 | Gajan30730 | Gard | — |
| November 28 – December 24 | La Garde83130 | Var | — |
| November 28 – December 16 | Solliès-Pont83210 | Var | Salles du Château, 4 avenue de la RépubliqueWed., Sat. and Sun. 10 a.m.–6 p.m. |
| November 28 – December 24 | Solliès-Ville83210 | Var | — |
| November 28–29 | Tarascon13150 | Bouches-du-Rhône | — |
| November 28–29 | Vaison-la-Romaine84110 | Vaucluse | — |
| December | |||
| December 4–6 | Châteaurenard13160 | Bouches-du-Rhône | — |
| December 5–6 | Apremont60300 | Oise | — |
| December 5–6 | Bormes-les-Mimosas83230 | Var | — |
| December 5–6 | Draguignan83300 | Var | — |
| December 5–20 | Fréjus83600 | Var | Salle Riculphe |
| December 5–6 | Gargas84400 | Vaucluse | — |
| December 5–6 | Nîmes — L’Art Santonnierposter30000 | Gard | Grand Hôtel (Ville Active), 202 rue Claude Nicolas Ledoux10 a.m.–7 p.m. · free admission · tel. +33 6 80 64 49 01 |
| December 5–6 | Saint-Jean-de-Cuculles34270 | Hérault | — |
| DecemberTo be confirmed | Sceaux92330 | Hauts-de-Seine | Former town hall, 68 rue Houdan45th edition |
| December 5 – January 3, 2027 | Théoule-sur-Mer06590 | Alpes-Maritimes | Espace Culturel, avenue Charles Dahon10 a.m.–noon and 2–5:30 p.m. |
| December 5–13 | Vendargues34740 | Hérault | — |
| December 6 – January 3, 2027 | Aniane34150 | Hérault | — |
| December 11–13 | Orange84100 | Vaucluse | — |
No fair matches this filter.
Is your fair missing from this list? Let us know, with its poster if you have it. It's free and takes two minutes.
Six fairs to know
These six have their own pages, because we confirmed their dates, location and hours with the organizers, and because each has a story worth telling.
This season's posters
A few posters from this season's fairs. Tap a poster to see it full size.
Your poster hereOrganizing a santon fair? Send us the poster: adding it is free.
Fair, market, show: what's the difference
Listings often mix these words up, but they mean different things.
| The word | What you'll find |
|---|---|
| Fair (foire) | Santon makers selling their work, usually at their own booth. It’s the most common kind and the best if you have questions. |
| Christmas market | A general market where santons are just one part. Aubagne and Marseille are exceptions: there, santons are the main event. |
| Show (salon) | Often a juried exhibit where pieces are on display and not always for sale. Arles is the clearest example: the town has a fair in late October and, separately, an international show that runs into January. They’re two different events. |
Regular Christmas markets aren’t listed on this page. They’re held in December, run by the town, and santons are only a small part of them at best. We cover them separately, with a focus on where to see a nativity in December.
Going: what to bring
- Your nativity’s measurements. The usable depth and the height under the stable roof. They tell you which santon size to buy, and no one at the fair can answer that for you. See santon sizes.
- A list of what you need. Santons are bought one at a time, and a nativity grows over the years. Without a list, you’ll come home with a third shepherd.
- Cash. Many small workshops don’t take cards, especially at village fairs, so bring euros. Where cards are accepted, U.S. cards usually work, especially tap-to-pay.
- Go early. At a weekend fair, Saturday morning is best: one-of-a-kind pieces sell out on the first day, and the santon maker still has time to chat.
Once you’re there, what really sets one santon apart from another is how well it’s made. We have a whole page on that: how to examine a santon (the eyes, the mold seam, the sharpness of the details, the base and the sound). And to learn more about the makers, the santon maker directory lists active workshops, each one checked individually.
Report a fair that isn't here
We put this calendar together ourselves, so it’s bound to miss a few. If you organize a santon fair, know one we’re missing, or see a date that has changed, let us know with this form. If you have the poster, attach it and we’ll publish it with the listing.
We check every submission with the town or organizer before publishing it, and we’ll get back to you if anything is missing. Listing is free, and there will never be paid placements on this page.