SANTON FAIR
The Aubagne Santon and Ceramics Market
Santon makers, nativity scenery builders and potters on the cours Maréchal Foch, from November 14 to December 27, 2026. Free, every day.
| At a glance | 2026 edition |
|---|---|
| Dates | Saturday, November 14, to Sunday, December 27, 2026 |
| Location | Cours Maréchal Foch, 13400 Aubagne |
| Hours | Daily 10 a.m.–7 p.m. |
| Admission | Free |
| Organizer | City of Aubagne |
| Official website | aubagne.fr |
A town that has always worked clay
Aubagne doesn’t just host a santon market. It makes santons. The town sits on clay deposits that people have dug since ancient times, and that clay led to everything else: roof tiles, pottery, floor tiles, and eventually santons. That’s what sets it apart from most fairs on this site: elsewhere, the santon makers travel in; here, many of them work just a few streets away.
The market has run in its current form since 1968. Its other special feature is right in its name: santons and ceramics. The two crafts use the same clay and the same kilns, and seeing them side by side shows better than any explanation why santon making took root here.
A big market, and what that changes
With so many sellers, you can really compare. At a village fair with a handful of booths, you buy what’s there. On the cours Foch, you can see the same character made by several workshops and learn in an hour what separates crisp, detailed sculpting from soft, blurry work.
It’s the fair we’d recommend to a beginner who doesn’t know yet what they like. Walk the whole thing once without buying anything, then go back to the three booths that caught your eye. That’s good advice anywhere, but it works best where there are plenty of booths to choose from.
The market also brings in crèchistes, the people who build the scenery rather than the figures. If you’re stuck on a backdrop, a mill or lighting, it’s one of your few chances all year to ask someone who does it for a living. Our guides to building a nativity scene cover the rest.
Getting there
The cours Maréchal Foch is the main street of old Aubagne, a five-minute walk from the train station. The Marseille–Toulon line stops there, so it’s one of the few fairs of the season you can easily reach without a car. If you drive, take exit 34 off the A50; downtown parking fills up early on December weekends.
It’s open every day, weekdays included, for six weeks, so it’s the easiest fair to fit into your plans. On a Tuesday morning in November, you’ll have the makers almost to yourself.
The season’s other fairs
You can do Aubagne and Marseille on the same day: they’re twenty minutes apart, and the dates overlap almost completely. Nearby, Arles opens as early as October 31.
The full 2026 santon fair calendar lists the whole season, from September 19 to January 3, and you can sort it by month and by area.
Information checked on September 13, 2026, with the City of Aubagne. We can’t guarantee dates or hours: a fair can be moved or canceled, and the organizer’s information is what counts. Confirm before you go.