LILLE SALE. The largest and most famous garage sale in Europe takes place on Saturday 2 and Sunday 3 September 2023. Program of the Braderie de Lille.
[Updated September 1, 2023 at 9:00 a.m.] This first weekend in September, the Braderie de Lille will allow lovers of china and antiques to unearth the rare pearl or the bargain. Each year, nearly two million visitors of all nationalities stroll on the lookout in the streets of the city, transformed into a veritable capital of antiquities, before sitting down in front of a pot of mussels. All this, of course, accompanied by fresh fries and, for those who love it, a good local beer. Check out the highlights of the program below:
To live the event well, above all, bring good shoes. You will have to trample for long minutes in congested streets, so patience will be your best ally. Also, keep an eye on your children, with so many visitors it’s easy to get lost. As for strollers, avoid them as much as possible. During the sale, the city belongs to pedestrians, the city center is forbidden to cars. Also, favor public transport, especially since the metro operates non-stop during these two days.
Every first Sunday of September, when the school holidays have just ended, thousands of bargain hunters go to Lille for the big sale. The Braderie de Lille takes place this year 2023 from Saturday 2 at 8 a.m. to Sunday September 3 at 6 p.m.
In 2024, the Braderie de Lille will be delayed by two weeks after the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games, to be held on Saturday September 14 and Sunday September 15. “We agreed with the prefect that the clearance sale would be postponed for 15 days”, after the Paralympics, explained Martine Aubry.
To get to the Braderie de Lille, forget the car if you live in Hauts-de-France. The SNCF is setting up an exceptional offer on its train tickets, and in particular on TER tickets. Departing from any station in the region, you can go to the Braderie de Lille with tickets that cost €2, €5, €10, €15 or €20. Reduced prices that the railway company puts in place to allow everyone to enjoy the Lille event without worrying about traffic and parking. An idea all the more practical as many people are expected at this great annual sale, which has become famous throughout France. Tickets can be purchased on the SNCF website until the end of the weekend.
The Braderie de Lille is far from being a novelty. Indeed, this great festival was born several centuries ago. The date of the first Lille sale is not known, but it can be traced back to the Middle Ages. Already at that time, valets could sell, on the occasion of the Lille fair, the old objects and clothes of their masters. But since then, the Braderie de Lille has become a real institution bringing together more and more visitors and exhibitors.
The origins of this popular event, one of the largest gatherings in France, date back to the 12th century. Until the 13th century, the fair of Lille lasted 30 days but it gradually lost importance in the 14th century during the French domination. It was really from the 1970s that the Braderie de Lille acquired its reputation and gained notoriety, in particular due to the denunciation of the consumer society. The tradition of “mussels and fries”, “the” dish of the Grande Braderie de Lille also dates from this period.