Fête du Pain, Paris
France’s bread festival around Saint-Honoré’s day, with its best-baguette contest on the square of Notre-Dame: 8 to 17 May in 2026, free entry. 2027 dates not yet published.
At a glance
- Held each year around 16 May, Saint-Honoré’s day, patron saint of bakers
- The national contest for the best traditional baguette, on the square of Notre-Dame
- A marquee of more than 500 m² with bakers and pastry chefs of Greater Paris in 2026
- Free entry to the site in 2026
- Last edition: 8 to 17 May 2026, the 30th. 2027 dates not yet published
What to taste
Baguette de tradition française
The traditional baguette, made without additives. Its national contest is judged on the square of Notre-Dame each year.
Pastries from Greater Paris
Pastry chefs shared the 2026 marquee with the bakers, for tastings and demonstrations.
Saint-Honoré
The cream-puff cake that bears the name of the bakers’ patron saint, whose day the festival celebrates.
Every May, around Saint-Honoré’s day on 16 May, France celebrates its bread, and in Paris the party takes over the square in front of Notre-Dame. The Fête du Pain is organised nationally by the Confédération Nationale de la Boulangerie-Pâtisserie Française, the bakers’ federation, and its 30th edition ran from 8 to 17 May 2026.
“Bread, a unifying food rooted in our everyday life, is at the heart of the festivities”, says the CNBPF.
The Fête du Pain baguette contest on the Parvis
Each year the national contest for the best baguette de tradition française is held on the Parvis de Notre-Dame.
The craft and culture of the baguette have been on UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage list since 2022.
What “tradition” means in law
Since a decree of 13 September 1993 (no. 93-1074), a loaf sold as pain de tradition française must follow set rules:
- Dough: only breadmaking wheat flours, drinking water and cooking salt, fermented with baker’s yeast and/or levain.
- Allowed in small doses: up to 2% fava bean flour, 0.5% soy flour and 0.3% wheat malt flour, by weight of flour.
- Never: frozen at any stage, or made with additives.
The City of Paris prize
Paris also runs its own Grand Prix de la baguette de tradition française, and in 2025 the mayor presented the prize to the winning bakery during the Fête du Pain.
- 2025, 32nd edition: 187 baguettes entered. The winner, the bakery La Parisienne in the 10th arrondissement, received €4,000.
- The jury: professional federations, journalists and four Parisians drawn by lot, judging appearance, taste, baking, crumb and the holes in the crumb, with an eye on size and salt content.
The City’s press release lists the contest’s ten best bakeries with their street addresses.
A saint, a minister and thirty editions
- 1996: the first Fête du Pain, launched on the initiative of Jean-Pierre Raffarin, a French politician who later became prime minister.
- Every year since: a date around 16 May, the day of Saint Honoré, patron saint of bakers.
- 2026: the 30th edition, ten days from Friday 8 to Sunday 17 May.
Before you go
- Dates: 2027 dates were not published on 15 October 2026. The festival is held around 16 May.
- Entry: free on the square of Notre-Dame in 2026.
- Where: the Parvis de Notre-Dame, the square in front of the cathedral on the Île de la Cité.
- Metro: Cité station, on line 4, is on the same island.
- Beyond Paris: bakeries across France join in with workshops, tastings, contests and open days.
Paris and the rest of France during the Fête du Pain
| Where | What happens |
|---|---|
| Parvis de Notre-Dame, Paris | National contest for the best traditional baguette. In 2026, a marquee of more than 500 m² with bakers and pastry chefs of Greater Paris |
| Bakeries across France | Baking workshops, tastings, contests and open days |
Sources: CNBPF, Paris ZigZag (2026).
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When is the Fête du Pain 2027?
Not yet announced. The festival is held each year around 16 May, Saint-Honoré’s day. In 2026 it ran from 8 to 17 May.
Where is the Fête du Pain in Paris?
On the Parvis de Notre-Dame, the square in front of the cathedral.
Is the Fête du Pain free?
Yes. Entry to the site on the square of Notre-Dame was free in 2026.
Who organises the Fête du Pain?
The Confédération Nationale de la Boulangerie-Pâtisserie Française organises it nationally. In Paris it is run with the bakers of Greater Paris.
Why is the Fête du Pain held in May?
Because of Saint-Honoré, patron saint of bakers, whose day is 16 May.
Sources
- CNBPF (Confédération Nationale de la Boulangerie-Pâtisserie Française): La Fête du Pain (timing, history, baguette contest, events) consulted on October 15, 2026
- CNBPF: 2026 press release (dates, 30th edition, organiser) consulted on October 15, 2026
- Paris Gourmand: the Fête du Pain on the square of Notre-Dame, 2026 (venue, free entry) consulted on October 15, 2026
- Paris ZigZag: Fête du Pain 2026 (marquee, bakers of Greater Paris, UNESCO) consulted on October 15, 2026
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