Bric-à-brac of the association Les Aubépines d'Illiers-Combray

The Aubépines bric-à-brac, a spring event in Illiers-Combray

Every year in March, the association Les Aubépines organizes its big bric-à-brac on avenue Georges Clémenceau in Illiers-Combray (28120). This popular event is one of the oldest and most established flea market events in the local life of this town celebrated worldwide for its connection to the work of Marcel Proust. Avenue Georges Clémenceau is transformed for the occasion into a colorful and lively flea market.

A day of bargain hunting from 8 am to 6 pm

The bric-à-brac is held on Sunday from 8 am to 6 pm, giving exhibitors and visitors all day to enjoy the event. Early morning bargain hunters arrive at opening to unearth treasures among the stalls. Furniture, crockery, books, clothes, tools, toys, decorative objects, and other bric-à-brac are piled up along the entire avenue for the greatest joy of second-hand lovers.

Pitches reserved in advance

Exhibitors wishing to participate must make a prior reservation. Pitches are charged at €2.50 per linear meter. To reserve, simply contact the association at 06 07 46 87 45. Advance reservation is mandatory; the organization does not accept registrations on the day itself. It is therefore advisable to register several weeks before the event.

A well-established bric-à-brac

The Aubépines bric-à-brac has reached its 28th edition, demonstrating the longevity and solidity of this event in the local calendar. This longevity is a mark of the loyalty of exhibitors and visitors who return each year, and of the professionalism of the volunteer team that has organized it for decades.

Illiers-Combray, Proust's town in Eure-et-Loir

Illiers-Combray is a small town in Eure-et-Loir (28120), world-renowned for having inspired Marcel Proust's "Combray" in "In Search of Lost Time". The town officially added "Combray" to its name in 1971 in homage to the writer. The house of Aunt Léonie, a Proustian museum, is preserved there and attracts many literary visitors each year. Avenue Georges Clémenceau, the setting for the bric-à-brac, is one of the main arteries of this charming town.

The Les Aubépines association

The association Les Aubépines takes its name from one of the most famous Proustian symbols of Illiers-Combray: the flowering hawthorns that young Marcel admired in Swann's garden. This local association organizes this bric-à-brac every year, contributing to the animation and influence of the town, while also funding its own associative activities.