Canet Plage Annual Grand Car Boot Sale

A flagship event on the Catalan coast

The Canet Plage Annual Grand Car Boot Sale is one of the most important bargain-hunting events in southern France. Its reputation extends well beyond the Pyrénées-Orientales and attracts thousands of visitors every 1 May from the Aude, Hérault, Ariège and even Spanish Catalonia. The event stretches over several hundred metres, from Avenue du Roussillon to the Promenade de la Côte Radieuse, past the Brasserie du Soleil, the Ramblas and Avenue de la Méditerranée. Open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., it brings together private sellers, semi-professionals and antique dealers unpacking their treasures facing the sea. Bargain hunters find an incredible range of items: clothes, toys, crockery, books, trinkets, records, small furniture, sports gear, collectibles and finds of all kinds. Registration is traditionally held in April at the Youth Centre on the Colline des Loisirs, with a flat rate of €17 for a 5-metre pitch.

Canet-en-Roussillon, a major resort on the Catalan coast

Canet-en-Roussillon is one of the largest seaside resorts on the French Catalan coast, with more than 12,000 year-round residents and several tens of thousands in season. The town, made up of the historic village of Canet and the modern resort of Canet-Plage, stretches along about ten kilometres of fine sandy beaches facing the Mediterranean. Its marina, one of the largest in the region, its many restaurants, its casino and its summer events make it a very popular family destination. On 1 May, a public holiday that symbolically marks the start of the tourist season, the beach car boot sale is one of the most anticipated spring events in Canet, attracting both residents of the Catalan coast and tourists arriving early to enjoy the Roussillon sunshine.