Fête de la Châtaigne, Collobrières
Collobrières’ chestnut festival, Sundays 11, 18 and 25 October 2026: growers’ market, a theme for each Sunday, free entry, €2 parking and shuttles.
At a glance
- Three Sundays in 2026: 11, 18 and 25 October, 9 am to 6 pm
- Collobrières becomes the Var’s chestnut capital at harvest time, says the tourist office
- A big market of chestnut growers, local produce and crafts
- A different theme each Sunday, from Var producers to farm skills
- Free entry. Parking is compulsory at €2 per vehicle, shuttles free
- The village is closed to cars and bikes for the whole event
How the festival runs
Sunday 11 October: Var producers 9 am to 6 pm
Producers of the Var on the stands, and dishes cooked over the flame by chef Cyril Aveline, tasted with the “Pass Gastronomie”.
Sunday 18 October: international day 9 am to 6 pm
Food brotherhoods (confréries) from France and Europe come to celebrate the village’s twinning with Italian and Spanish villages, with an official parade.
Sunday 25 October: farm skills 9 am to 6 pm
Farm animals and hands-on demonstrations: the programme invites visitors to make their own butter or plant salads.
What to taste
Châtaignes grillées (roast chestnuts)
The first of the chestnut recipes listed in the tourist office’s magazine, and a classic street snack of autumn.
Marron glacé (candied chestnut)
A whole chestnut candied in syrup. The tourist office’s magazine has a page on how it is made.
Crème de marrons (sweet chestnut spread)
A sweet chestnut purée, named with the chestnut in the local produce pages of the tourist office’s magazine.
Flame-cooked dishes
Cooked by chef Cyril Aveline on Sunday 11 October 2026, with tastings through the “Pass Gastronomie”.
Var produce
The growers’ market sells chestnuts alongside other local produce of the Var.
For three Sundays each October, Collobrières becomes “the Var’s chestnut capital”, as the Méditerranée Porte des Maures tourist office puts it: the Fête de la Châtaigne follows the chestnut harvest in the Massif des Maures, the wooded hills behind the coast of the Var. The town hall organises it, and the tourist office presents the 2026 programme as the 43rd festival of chestnuts and local produce.
A harvest festival in the Maures
The heart of the day is a market.
- What the office promises: “artisans, producers, artists and lovers of the terroir” with authentic skills and exceptional products.
- Around the stalls: plenty of live music, says the 2026 programme.
Fête de la Châtaigne: three Sundays, three themes
Each Sunday has its own programme, so the choice of day matters. The 2026 programme adds details the headline themes leave out:
- 18 October: besides the parade, traditional dances, fife-and-drum concerts, Italian flag-throwers, and glass-blowing and wood-turning demonstrations.
- 25 October: besides the farm animals, a look at the old trades of the farm.
A confrérie is a food brotherhood: members in robes and hats who promote a local product and parade at festivals like this one.
Cork and chestnuts, then and now
Between the Sundays, the town hall’s agenda lists a walk, “Le liège et la châtaigne… autrefois et aujourd’hui”, on Saturday 17, Wednesday 21 and Saturday 24 October 2026, from 10 am to 3 pm. It asks how chestnuts were prepared so they would keep, what needs and skills went into working cork, and how both are handled today.
“Ces deux produits emblématiques du massif des Maures traversent les siècles” (these two emblematic products of the Massif des Maures have come down through the centuries), says the town hall.
Before you go
- Hours: 9 am to 6 pm on each of the three Sundays.
- Shuttles: coming from Pierrefeu-du-Var, La Londe-les-Maures or Bormes-les-Mimosas, they leave from the Parking Ouest.
- Timing: the regional tourist board advises arriving before 9 am and leaving before 3 pm.
- Security: bags are searched and visitors patted down at the village entrances.
- Dogs and pushchairs: strongly discouraged by the tourist office.
The three Sundays of the 2026 festival
| Sunday | Theme | Highlights |
|---|---|---|
| 11 October | Var producers | Chef Cyril Aveline cooks over the flame, tastings with the Pass Gastronomie |
| 18 October | International day | Brotherhoods from France and Europe, twinned Italian and Spanish villages, official parade |
| 25 October | Farm skills | Farm animals, butter making, planting salads |
Source: Méditerranée Porte des Maures tourist office, 2026 programme.
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When is the Fête de la Châtaigne in Collobrières in 2026?
On Sundays 11, 18 and 25 October 2026, from 9 am to 6 pm.
Is the Collobrières chestnut festival free?
Yes. Entry is free. Parking is compulsory and costs €2 per vehicle, and the shuttle buses are free.
Where do you park for the Collobrières chestnut festival?
In the car parks at the village entrances, €2 per vehicle. A footpath leads from the car park to the village. Visitors coming from Pierrefeu-du-Var, La Londe-les-Maures or Bormes-les-Mimosas can take the shuttle from the Parking Ouest.
What time should you arrive?
Before 9 am, says the regional tourist board, which also advises leaving before 3 pm.
Can you bring a dog to the chestnut festival?
It is strongly discouraged, as are pushchairs.
Sources
- Collobrières Town Hall: official site consulted on October 15, 2026
- Méditerranée Porte des Maures tourist office: Fêtes de la Châtaigne et du Terroir (2026 dates, free entry, traffic, security, guided tours) consulted on October 15, 2026
- Méditerranée Porte des Maures tourist office: 2026 programme (hours, themed Sundays, chef, recipes) consulted on October 15, 2026
- Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur regional tourist board: Chestnut and Local Produce Festival (organiser, parking, advice) consulted on October 15, 2026
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