Already six generations of fairgrounds to perpetuate the tradition of this Val-d'Oise fair

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“I occupy my great-grandfather’s place,” confides Frédéric Bolot, 56, who has always experienced the November event.

The Saint-Martin Fair of Pontoise (Val-d'Oise) is a must on the fairground tour. His family has been there for six generations.

“In the past, the funfair only took place for four days, around the Lousteau stadium,” remembers the man who runs La Chaumière, a food stand. His father ran the ghost train.

After Frédéric, it will be his daughter who will take over, he hopes.

His uncle René is also there, in the place occupied by his grandfather.

“Already five generations to attend the Pontoise meeting,” explains the showman who runs a children’s carousel.

“We never really move on. We stay as a family until the end. »

100 professions

Each year, around a hundred “trades”, according to their vocabulary, set up shop for two weeks on avenue François-Mitterrand.

Professionals occupy the public domain via authorization from the town hall.

Their place is thus reserved from one year to the next.

“When a showman dies, the place is given to a member of his family.

Without a buyer, the space is offered to another occupant,” explains Priscile Spinelli-Caron, municipal agent responsible for supervising the installation of the funfair.

90 stands

Behind her duck fishing stand, Ginette Chanteux has not missed the meeting in forty years.

She ran a karting stand for children for a long time, but since her husband stopped, she chose a job that was simpler to manage and less restrictive.

“We were filming throughout the Paris region and the Pontoise fair was on the circuit,” she remembers.

The funfair takes place for thirteen days but occupies the space for twenty-eight days, from assembly to dismantling of the 90 stands and rides installed on Avenue François-Mitterrand, 1.3 km long.

“A difficult job, which must adapt to very strict security constraints,” underlines Stéphanie Von Euw, mayor (Lr) of Pontoise.

Nothing that discourages a corporation whose activity takes place mainly in Île-de-France.

This is the third funfair in Île-de-France after the Foire du Trône in Paris-Vincennes and the Fête des Loges in Saint-Germain-en-Laye (Yvelines).

In Pontoise, the fairground community completes the celebration to the Pontoise hospital to share this moment of joy with children undergoing care.

Sunday November 10, from 3 p.m.: meeting with Lilo and Stitch from the Disney universe. They will wander through the aisles and meet young visitors. Wednesday, November 13, from 3 p.m.: big Disney parade & operation One ride purchased = One ride free. As every year, a tasting area is set up on the Chaussée Jules-César, with grilled herring to be consumed on wooden trestles, accompanied by the traditional ginglet, wine from the Pontoise wine brotherhood.

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