To get to Paris’ annual Grape Harvest Festival (Fête des Vendanges), I traveled to the area called Montmartre. It’s famous for its gigantic church on top of a hill called the Basilica of Sacré-Cœur (Sacred Heart). When I first arrived at the Basilica, I was struck by how large and impressive it looks. Then, I was struck by the incredible view I saw of Paris all around. Being up there made me realize what a large city Paris is.
Normally, Montmartre and the Basilica of Sacré-Cœur have a lot of visitors. But during the Fête des Vendanges, there were so, so many people that it was sometimes difficult to get around! During the weekend of the Fête, there are over 300,000 people who visit to eat yummy food, try different wines and enjoy the celebration.
The Fête des Vendanges is an important tradition in Paris that marks the end of the harvest season for the local grapes. It is basically a huge fair with lots of stalls selling really good food from the surrounding area and even from other parts of France. It is held on the first weekend of October each year.
In some ways, I think of the foods at the Fête des Vendanges the same as how we eat Thanksgiving foods as a fall tradition in the USA.
