Arras flea market: giant in every sense!

 

Nowhere is tradition higher on the agenda than in Northern France and here in Arras ‒ just 70-minutes’ drive from Calais on the A26 ‒ none of the locals would dream of foregoing one of the most traditional and convivial events in France in summer: ‘Puces-à-Bidasse’ ‒ Arras’ annual flea market.

 

Sprawling over the cobbles of three Arras squares, here’s your chance to sightsee and bargain-hunt in one hit, with hundreds of both professional flea market traders and private householders spilling their second-hand wares over the pavements. Join the crowds eager to forage for the rare and the random, from vintage vinyl and period postcards, to tools, coins, jewels, furniture and old paintings. Whatever you end up leaving with, it’s sure to be a precious piece of French social history ‒ and a talking point in your home for years to come. 

 

There’s a great atmosphere at Puces-à-Bidasse flea market too, with music and food, good humour and haggling, plus bargain-seekers from all over Europe. And why is it called Puces-à-Bidasse? Well, ‘Puce’ means flea, and another Northern France tradition is to parade statuesque ‘géants’ (like puppets, but on a towering scale) at special events. In Arras, the giants are called the Bidasse family ‒ poke your head into the Hôtel-de-Ville entrance to see them for yourself.