SANTON FAIR
The Mouans-Sartoux Santon Fair
Almost two months long, from November 1 to December 24, 2026, at the La Strada library, a few miles inland from Cannes. The town calls it the oldest and biggest santon fair in the Alpes-Maritimes area.
| At a glance | 2026 edition |
|---|---|
| Dates | Sunday, November 1, to Thursday, December 24, 2026 |
| Location | Médiathèque La Strada, place du Général de Gaulle, 06370 Mouans-Sartoux |
| Hours | 2–6 p.m. (longer hours on some days in December) |
| Admission | Free |
| Organizer | Town of Mouans-Sartoux |
| Official website | mouans-sartoux.net |
Eight weeks, and why that’s different
Almost every other fair of the season lasts a weekend. This one runs from November 1 to December 24: eight weeks, inside a library. It isn’t an outdoor market with booths that go up and come down. It’s an indoor show-and-sale that stays put the whole time.
In practice, that means you can go on a quiet Tuesday in November, come back three weeks later to see what’s left, and not miss a thing. If you catch a cold on the weekend of a two-day fair, you’re out of luck. Here, you’re not.
The downside: with a long show like this, the santon makers aren’t there every day. If you want to talk with them in person, ask the library which days they’ll be there before you go.
The santon outside Provence
The Alpes-Maritimes area has only three fairs on the 2026 calendar (Mouans-Sartoux, Cagnes-sur-Mer and Théoule-sur-Mer), compared with seventeen in the neighboring Var. The santon tradition fades as you head east toward Italy, and Mouans-Sartoux keeps it going here: it’s the best-established fair in the area, and the only one that lasts the whole season.
For visitors, that means the santons come from Provençal makers who travel in, not from local workshops. That’s great for shopping, but not for finding a maker close to home. The santon maker directory is better for that.
Getting there
The La Strada library is on the place du Général de Gaulle, right downtown. Mouans-Sartoux has a train station on the Cannes–Grasse line, about a ten-minute walk away. By car, take the Cannes–Grasse expressway to the Mouans-Sartoux exit.
The season’s other fairs
In the same area, Cagnes-sur-Mer (Le Cros) opens on All Saints’ weekend, and Théoule-sur-Mer picks up from December 5 to January 3.
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 Town of Mouans-Sartoux. 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.