Car boot sale and Breton Palet Competition of Fontaine-Couverte

Car Boot Sale and Palet Competition – Fontaine-Couverte (53350)

In Fontaine-Couverte (53350), a commune in western Mayenne near Craon, a May event happily combines two local traditions: the car boot sale and the palet competition. This unusual combination is, however, most natural in this area of Mayenne where the Breton game of palet is deeply rooted in popular culture.

Fontaine-Couverte is a village in the Oudon valley, in an agricultural and bocage area in the southwest of Mayenne. The Pays de Craon, of which this territory is a part, is one of the most fertile in the department, with its large dairy farms and its green meadows. In this rural setting, local traditions have been maintained with remarkable vigor.

The Breton palet is a traditional sport that consists of throwing a metal disc as close as possible to a target. Very popular in the Grand Ouest of France, it is particularly present in Mayenne, where numerous clubs and associations are its guardians. The combination with a car boot sale is a happy idea: visitors can hunt for treasures in the morning and watch or participate in the palet competition in the afternoon, thus spending a whole day in Fontaine-Couverte.

The car boot sale, for its part, brings together private sellers offering their usual second-hand items: crockery and kitchenware, clothing, books, toys, tools, and trinkets. The atmosphere is that of a lively village market, where discussions flow freely between sellers and visitors.

On-site catering, provided by the organizers, allows participants in both activities to eat and extend this convivial outdoor day.