Canceled twice due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Chaindon agricultural fair is making a comeback on September 4 and 5 in Reconvilier, in the Bernese Jura. Between 40,000 and 50,000 people are expected to attend this event whose origins date back approximately 400 years.
An unmissable event for breeders, this event, which is on the list of living traditions in Switzerland, is considered one of the largest agricultural fairs. Its course is, so to speak, immutable: procession on Sunday and agricultural fair on Monday with cattle, horses and other farm animals.
The event is a real showcase for the agricultural world, even if its festive side has continued to gain in importance over the years. The fair will kick off on Sunday with a horse hauling contest, a farm tractor gymkhana and pig races. The day will continue with a folk procession and fireworks, indicates the organizing committee on its website.
Several hundred fairground
As tradition dictates, cattle dealers and horse breeders will offer their animals for sale on the first Monday of September. They will take over the streets of the village at dawn, which will also welcome some 470 fairground people. Public and exhibitors will be able to satisfy themselves with cheesecake,
The Chaindon Fair has no precise date as to its creation. The first traces are dated September 2, 1626. The fair owes its reputation to its horse market, which experienced strong growth to the point of becoming one of the largest in Europe. In 1984, more than 3000 horses were gathered on the site.
