The Givet Onion Fair is an annual event, which takes place every November 11 in the streets of Givet. During this day, around 500 vendors from the four corners of France set up shop in the main arteries of Givet.
Each year, no less than 20 to 000 visitors from neighboring regions (Nord-pas-de Calais, Meuse, Lorraine, Belgium, Luxembourg, etc.) come to share the warm atmosphere of this event.
If in the Pointe des Ardennes, November 11 evokes the Onion Fair even before the anniversary of the Armistice of the First World War, the Givetois and inhabitants of the region are undoubtedly unaware of the origin of the name of this event of unrivaled popularity.
A page of history: It was in January 1617 that the Archdukes Albert and Isabella established a fair reserved for their most distant subjects from the marches of the Empire.
Closer to us, documents from the old regime mention three fairs in Givet: in spring, on Saint-Louis Day and Saint-Martin's Day.
Under the Revolution, the central administration of the Ardennes of Year VI set the dates at 13 Brumaire, 26 Floréal and 9 Fructidor. 500 head of cattle were then “exhibited” at the fair.
But it is since the Empire that this November fair has been known under the name “Foire aux Onignons”, a name that smacks of the terroir.
Engaged in the harsh Polish campaign, Napoleon nevertheless found the time to look into the affairs of the town of Givet.
From his imperial headquarters in Posen, on December 12, 1806, eight days before entering Warsaw, Napoleon issued a decree fixing the dates of the fairs in Givet, and more particularly that of Saint-Martin, which had become the Onion Fair.
With these five hundred head of cattle brought from Belgium notwithstanding customs obstacles, the Onion Fair was the liveliest and most active in an entire region.
All dates and times
| Opening hours on November 11, 2025 | |
|---|---|
| Tuesday | Open |
