The floating market at Isle sur la Sorgue, a "Must Do" when you're in Provence in September!

That's great news! The Marché flottant takes place on a Sunday, which is market day in Isle sur la Sorgue. These two Sunday markets in Isle (Provençal and brocante) attract many visitors all year round... and even more in July and August!
Attendance at the floating market in early August was becoming increasingly important... A little too important for our liking. To set up on the banks of the Sorgue and enjoy this beautiful spectacle, you had to arrive very early at L'Isle, and be patient to keep your place on the banks of the Sorgue, the beautiful river that embraces the town center. In our humble opinion, it was a wise decision to organize it in September!
It'll be a chance to enjoy the only floating market in the pretty Comtadine Venice.

How does it work?

From 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., aboard the "Nègo Chin", the traditional boats of the L'Islois fishermen (known here as the "Pescaïres Lilen"), the merchants, dressed for the occasion in traditional Comtadin costumes, glide from one bank to the other at our call.
A true farandole of colors and scents (with the freshness of the Sorgue to boot): flowers, fruit and vegetables, Provencal herbs, cheeses, local wines, breads, Provencal cookies (hummmm navettes and croquants! A delight)... And of course, the floating market isn't just for show: we're passed dishes with toasts of tapenade or poichichade... And you can buy all the local produce you see on the boats!

At the end of the floating market, around 1 p.m., everyone gathers their Nego-chin and starts singing for us the famous and very serious “Coupe Santo", considered to be the anthem of Provence.
This song, about the friendship between Catalans and Provençals, was written by Frédéric Mistral in 1867: writers and politicians of the time had offered a silver cup to the Félibres (of which Frédéric Mistral was a member) in gratitude for the welcome they had given to the Catalan poet, Víctor Balaguerur.
The cradle of the Félibrige is none other than our pretty little hilltop village, Chateauneuf de Gadagne!

F. Mistral, who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1904 for his work Mirèio (Mireille), was one of its founding members... Suffice it to say that La Coupe Santo is no laughing matter here!

In the 60s, the deputy mayor of L'Isle sur Sorgue, Mr. René Légier, returned from Bangkok amazed by the Thai floating markets. His idea was to do the same in his town, surrounded by the arms of the Sorgue. From the very first year, it was a resounding success...

Oh, and don't forget that admission to the Isle sur la Sorgue floating market is free of charge. So...coming to l'Oréliane in September? We'll be delighted to welcome you! Christine and Dominique

PS: many thanks to L'Isle sur la Sorgue Tourisme (header photo by ©Stéphane Menant) and L'Agence La Belle Vie for their superb shots of the Isle sur la Sorgue floating market!