Annecy En Retour Des Alpages

Date: Saturday, 12th October, 2013

The festival "Retour des Alpages" has been running every year since 1973, therefore this year was the 40th anniversary. It happens the second Saturday of October and is, in summary, a festival of the Alpine animals coming down from the mountains for winter! It takes places in the old town ("la vieille ville"). 

As it appears in the small information leaflet I found online, the festival gives everything the opportunity to rediscover the lost taste of old meals, to discover the traditional artistry while being soothed by the sounds of the bells and the Savoyard folklore, with the rhythm of olden time dances. 

The whole festival started at 9am, however we all got there around 1pm. Between 9am and 6pm the old town was filled with stalls showing traditional crafts and music groups. As of 2.30pm the parade of the animals began, with cows, calves, sheep, goats, geese and dogs all going past us. It was quite amazing to see, just a pity it rained so much!

Below are pictures and a video at the end!