LILLE SALE. This Saturday September 3 and Sunday September 4, 2022, the Lille clearance sale is back after two years of absence. For two days, the city is transformed into a giant garage sale spread over 180 hectares closed to traffic while public transport is on strike. We give you the program, the traffic, the map, the timetables and all the information to make the most of this event.
[Mis à jour le 3 septembre 2022 à 20h11] Two years… It’s been two years since the Lille sale took place. This weekend of September 3 and 4, it’s the big catch-up session, and the return of the most famous garage sale in the North! The health crisis has, in fact, left the sellers alone on this first weekend of September. It is one of the most popular events in France, bringing together nearly 2 million visitors each year who converge on the center of the city in search of a collector’s item, to participate in the various events or to taste the legendary mussels and fries. Every year, nearly 500 tonnes of mussels and 30 tonnes of fries are eaten under the watchful eye of health controllers. As usual, the “bradeux”, as they are called, will be able to enjoy the festival atmosphere.
Lille is transformed into a friendly place where you can hunt around at all hours of the day. Regulars of the event get up early to take advantage of the best opportunities. Of course, there is the gigantic flea market which makes the Grande Braderie de Lille one of the biggest gatherings in France, but not only! Discover below all the best things to do during the Braderie de Lille, the map and opening hours of restaurants, bars and terraces. On the transport side, if the town hall of Lille strongly encourages participants to use the trams, buses and metros, this advice may be complicated to follow due to a strike launched by the CGT Ilévia this Saturday, September 3, 2022. What is the Braderie de Lille programme? What are the opening hours and traffic forecast? All the info below:
This weekend, Lille becomes the capital of “china”. Second-hand goods dealers, antique dealers and bargain hunters meet there in a festive and warm atmosphere.
- The antiques are widely represented on the boulevard Louis XIV and of freedom and specialists in uk antiques are located between streets of La Porte de Roubaix and of the Opera. Otherwise, go to rue Gambetta, rue de Châtillon or Quai du Wault at the merchants of Vieux-Lille.
- The flea market circuit runs from the Esplanade to rue Saint-Sauveur via boulevard de la Liberté.
- Don’t miss the spectacular pile of mussel shells in Passage Rihour, which is growing day by day. The restaurateurs, in collaboration with the municipal cleanliness services, supply the collection of shells until the end of the event, on Sunday evening. The shells are then recycled into tile slabs by the Etnisi company.
- L’election of Mister and Miss Mold to Kolor bar to the 80s atmosphere. The organizers specify that it is not a fashion show, and that Mister and Miss Moule are elected not for their physique, but for their 80’s outfit and the atmosphere that they put in the bar. The winners win a magnum of champagne, a Nintendo Switch or cocktails and goodies!
- Children can enjoy the rides of the Champs de Mars funfair but are also entitled to their Children’s clearance sale to sell off toys, video games and books! This is held on Saturdayfrom 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. in the courtyard of the Saint-Sauveur station.
- A village of associations is held at the Porte de Paris, a shopping village on Place Rihour and a number of foodtrucks on the Esplanade.
- The Bouquinistes sale exceptionally stands place Roger Salengro, in front of the Town Hall.
- Cultural places continue to come alive aroundUtopia (Palais du Beaux-Arts, Tri Postal, Natural History Museum, Hospice Comtesse Museum, Gare Saint-Sauveur).
To enjoy the event well, above all, bring good shoes. You will have to trample for long minutes in congested streets, so patience will be your best ally. Also, keep an eye on your children, with so many visitors it’s easy to get lost. As for strollers, avoid them as much as possible. During the sale, the city belongs to pedestrians, the city center is forbidden to cars.
As every year, the sale is organized around the Place du General de Gaulle. This year 2022, “26 streets or portions of streets are added to the clearance sale perimeter, in order to offer ever more opportunities to do good business”, specifies the town hall of Lille. View the PDF map of the sale designed by the town hall of Lille in order to identify the clearance sale areas, open-air markets, associations, first-aid stations, toilets, transport, traffic, etc.
- During the night from Saturday to Sunday, the restaurants and bars are open non-stop and the terraces close at 2 am. Beer pumps are allowed from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
- On the night of Sunday to Monday, restaurants and bars close at 1 a.m. and the terraces close at 11 p.m. Beer taps are allowed from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- The broadcast of music, door open is possible until 2am in the night from Saturday to Sunday.
The circulation of vehicles is prohibited within the perimeter of the Braderie de Lille, except for vehicles having received a pass. However, the CFDT, the CGT and the CFTC have called for a Lille transport strike this Saturday, September 3, 2022, with the aim of demanding better working conditions and better wages. Here are the traffic disruptions communicated by the Lille carrier Ilevia in a press release:
- Bus disruptions : The bus lines circulate “normally” on Saturday September 3, excluding deviations provided for by the delimitation of the perimeter of the clearance sale.
- Metro disruptions : “Slight disturbances could affect the presence of the metro”, warns Ilevia, but it runs all night between Saturday September 3 and Sunday September 4.
- Tram disruptions : a tram every 10 minutes on the on the common trunk between Lille-Flandres and Croisé Laroche and every 20 minutes on the Roubaix and Tourcoing branches. Substitute buses are planned on the side lanes of the Grand Boulevard between Gare Lille Flandres and Croisé Laroche, with one bus every 5 minutes between 7 a.m. and 12 p.m., between 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. and between 9 p.m. and 1 a.m. The tram runs all night between Saturday September 3 and Sunday September 4.
To get to the Braderie de Lille, forget the car if you live in Hauts-de-France. The SNCF is setting up an exceptional offer on its train tickets, and in particular on TER tickets. Departing from any station in the region, you can go to the Braderie de Lille with tickets that cost €2, €5, €10, €15 or €20. Reduced prices that the railway company puts in place to allow everyone to enjoy the Lille event without worrying about traffic and parking. An idea all the more practical as many people are expected at this great annual sale, which has become famous throughout France. Tickets can be purchased at the SNCF websiteuntil the end of the weekend.
The Braderie de Lille is far from being a novelty. Indeed, this great festival was born several centuries ago. The date of the first Lille sale is not known, but it can be traced back to the Middle Ages. Already at that time, valets could sell, on the occasion of the Lille fair, the old objects and clothes of their masters. But since then, the Braderie de Lille has become a real institution bringing together more and more visitors and exhibitors.
The origins of this popular event, one of the largest gatherings in France, date back to the 12th century. Until the 13th century, the Lille fair lasted 30 days but it gradually lost importance in the 14th century during the French domination. It was really from the 1970s that the Braderie de Lille acquired its reputation and gained notoriety, in particular due to the denunciation of the consumer society. The tradition of “mussels and fries”, “the” dish of the Grande Braderie de Lille also dates from this period.
Every first Sunday of September, when the school holidays have just ended, thousands of bargain hunters go to Lille for the big sale. The Braderie de Lille takes place from Saturday 2 at 8 a.m. to Sunday September 3, 2022 at 6 p.m..