Grand Vide-Grenier du Col du Festre

The Grand Vide-Grenier du Col du Festre: Bargain hunting at 1,400 m altitude

The Col du Festre (1,441 m), the eastern gateway to the Dévoluy massif, hosts a large car boot sale in summer in a spectacular mountain setting. The stands are set up in the fields next to the Auberge du Col, on the departmental road connecting Gapençais to Dévoluy.

Le Dévoluy, wild massif of the Southern Alps

The Dévoluy is a mountain massif in the Hautes-Alpes renowned for its grandiose landscapes, limestone cliffs, and alpine pastures. Dominated by the Obiou (2,789 m) and the Grand Ferrand (2,758 m), this massif offers an exceptional playground for lovers of hiking, skiing, and wild nature. The Col du Festre, a historic pass between Gapençais and Dévoluy, is a busy route in the summer season.

What to find at the stalls?

Exhibitors offer a wide range of second-hand items: antique tableware, trinkets, frames and mirrors, books and magazines, toys, clothes, small appliances, tools, sports equipment, vinyl records and CDs, home textiles, and decorative objects. In the Hautes-Alpes, you can also regularly find typical mountain items: old agricultural tools, cowbells, Savoyard furniture, vintage skis, snowshoes, and hiking equipment. Prices are generally very attractive, making these car boot sales an economical and ecological alternative to buying new.

The Hautes-Alpes, land of flea markets and car boot sales

The Hautes-Alpes department, the least populated in metropolitan France, compensates for its low density with a particularly dynamic associative life. From March to October, car boot sales and flea markets punctuate the life of the Alpine villages, offering as many opportunities to hunt for bargains as to meet neighbors. The summer season, with the influx of tourists and holidaymakers, multiplies the opportunities: passing visitors gladly stop to rummage through the stalls, sometimes discovering unsuspected Alpine treasures. The exceptional mountain setting of the department adds a unique dimension to these events, with grandiose panoramas and the pure mountain air.

A unique high-altitude car boot sale

The originality of this car boot sale lies in its exceptional setting: at 1,400 meters altitude, facing the peaks of the Dévoluy, exhibitors and visitors enjoy a breathtaking Alpine panorama. The crisp mountain air and summer coolness add to the pleasure of open-air bargain hunting. The price of 10 euros for 5 meters attracts local exhibitors and holidaymakers.