Vide-Grenier de Mouriès

A car boot sale in the heart of olive country

Every year, the Parc du Moulin Peyre in Mouriès opens its doors to exhibitors and bargain hunters for a large open-air car boot sale. Located along avenue Frédéric Mistral, this spring event allows individuals to offer second-hand items, clothing, tableware, toys, trinkets, and curiosities at low prices. The atmosphere is family-friendly and relaxed, in an authentic village where Provençal life unfolds to the rhythm of the seasons and the olive harvest.

Mouriès, France's leading olive-growing commune

Mouriès is a village of 3,500 inhabitants located south of the Parc Naturel Régional des Alpilles, in the Bouches-du-Rhône department. The commune is France's leading olive-growing commune, with nearly 80,000 centenary olive trees spread over more than 3,800 hectares of scrubland, vineyards, and olive groves. Its olive oils, classified as AOC and AOP Vallée des Baux-de-Provence, have won numerous gold medals. The village still has two active mills and many olive estates with direct sales.

The Oppidum of Caisses de Jean-Jean

A few minutes from the Parc du Moulin Peyre, the oppidum of Caisses de Jean-Jean is one of Provence's major protohistoric sites. Classified as a Historical Monument since 1937, this 14-hectare archaeological site was occupied from the 8th century BC to the 3rd century AD. Excavations carried out since 1933 have revealed exceptional Celtic votive stelae, engraved with riders and horses, as well as architectural blocks of Hellenistic tradition. The oppidum's defensive system, made up of natural cliffs and built ramparts, makes it a unique site in the region.

Finds for every taste

The stalls at the Mouriès car boot sale offer the typical diversity of Provençal second-hand markets:

• Clothing and accessories for the whole family
• Tableware, ceramics, and decorative objects
• Toys, board games, and books
• Small furniture and gardening tools
• Trinkets, vinyl records, and collectibles
• Curiosities and unusual items

The Fête des Olives Vertes, an ancestral tradition

Mouriès is also famous for its Fête des Olives Vertes (Green Olive Festival), listed as intangible cultural heritage in France. Organized every year on the third weekend of September for over fifty years, this festival marks the beginning of the olive harvest with a grand parade in Provençal costumes and the world championship for the best olive cracker. This ancestral gesture involves splitting the olive's flesh with a precise blow using a stone from the Crau to prepare the famous olives cracked with wild fennel. A car boot sale is also held on this occasion in the Saint-Roch district.

A Provençal village to discover

Take advantage of your visit to the car boot sale to discover the village of Mouriès: the Moulin Peyre and the Maison de l'Olive et de l'Olivier, the plane tree-shaded Cours Paul Révoil, the narrow streets of the old town, and the many olive estates in the surrounding area. The village is also an ideal starting point for hikes in the Alpilles, between limestone cliffs, fragrant scrubland, and ancient olive groves.