A copious program of activities for the 140th anniversary of the Nîmes halls

Lancement des festivités pour les 140 ans avec Vincent Vergne, Christophe Pio, Jean-Paul Fournier et Valentine Wolber. Midi Libre – K. H.

The anniversary date is next November but the event will be celebrated all year round… hellip; and from this Easter weekend. Here we go!

Nîmes, its thousand-year-old arenas, its square house listed as a UNESCO world heritage site… and its halls! Little young people, in comparison, in the landscape of the city but who are still celebrating their venerable 140 years this year. They were inaugurated on November 9 and 10, 1884, after only one year of construction. And for the occasion, the City and the Halles Traders Association pulled out all the stops with gourmet and fun events all year round (see box).

Works in 1884. City of Nîmes/Museum of Old Nîmes

"The belly of Nîmes"

"Les halles is the belly of Nîmes. The people of Nîmes are very attached to this place of life and meetings", explains Mayor Jean-Paul Fournier, seated at the Halles Auberge, this Tuesday morning, to present the festivities with Christophe Pio, delegate to the halls and markets, Valentine Wolber, elected to commerce, and Vincent Vergne, the cheesemaker president of the   Committee for the promotion of development and defense of the halls. "They are part of the art of living in Nîmes from generation to generation. Many cities envy us this tradition, adds Vincent Vergne. And families have been running stalls there for three, even four generations, like the Puechs. Because they are also an economic lung of the city center with "72 stalls and 300 direct jobs", he insists.

On the program

– From March 29 to April 1: drawing competition then exhibited in the halls. Chocolate eggs will be up for grabs. Decorating the halls on the Easter theme.

– April 23: wheel of the market halls. Places to be won for the Roman Days show.

– From April 26 to 28: strawberry festival. Cooking competition at the Auberge des Halles around strawberries with vouchers ;rsquo;purchase to win. Promoting greengrocers and restaurateurs around strawberries as well as stallholders wanting to participate (pastry chefs, cheese makers, etc.).

– April 28: giant picnic rue Guizot.

May 11: theater entertainment and stroll.

– May 28: wheel of the halls from 20 euros; purchases and vouchers to be won.

– June 21: music halls on the occasion of the Music Festival, singer or group on site. Raffle with tickets to be won for the Nîmes Festival concerts.

– June 26, Roue des Halles from 20 € purchases and vouchers to be won.

– June 27: nighttime, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

– July 16: for the Tour de France, bicycle history stand with Morgan cycle and raffle to win an electric bike.

– From July 26 to August 11, the Olympi’halles. Challenges and prizes to be won (sack races, darts, badminton, ping-pong, biggest Nîmes pâté eater, tug of war, tap throwing…).

– From August 23 to 25: skewer weekend. Skewers at all stands (meat, fish, cheese, fruit). Free cooking on rue Guizot, in partnership with the Comptoir des Halles.

– August 26: late night in the halls, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

– September 3: wheel of fortune.

– From September 27 to 29: picholine festival. Photo exhibition, photo competition, olive and oil tasting.

– October 22nd: wheel of the halls from 20 euros; purchases and vouchers to be won.

– From October 31 to November 3: Halles’Oween. Pumpkin cooking competition at Halles’Auberge, pumpkin competition decorated at Bloom's, distribution of candy to children.

– October 31: nighttime, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.

– November 9 and 10: 140 years of Les Halles. Fanfare, 140 years of Les Halles exhibition. Children's poster competition with artist Melvyn Barros.

– November 17 : Côtes-du-Rhône primeur.

– November 28: wheel of the halls from 20 euros; purchases and vouchers to be won.

December 1st: lottery for the benefit of the Telethon.

During the week, they see up to a thousand customers per day. "On a weekend, there are 3 000 to 4,000 people. On my stall alone, I see 200 customers every weekend, adds cheesemaker Sylvain Crégut, vice-president of the Halles Promotion Committee. &amp ;quot;You can find quality products here and no more expensive than in a supermarket,praises Christophe Pio.

In 1927, the Baltard halls looked great. City of Nîmes/Old Museum

Demolished and rebuilt in 1971

And it's been going on for 140 years… When it opens, the halls house more than 40 butchers and poultry merchants, 50 cheese makers, 30 fishmongers, 30 greengrocers… They valiantly survived the two wars but deteriorated. Hygiene, traffic and parking problems. In 1971, the old building was demolished and replaced by parking halls, a new concrete building delivered in December 1972, topped with three floors of parking. In 1987-1988, the facade was redone by the architects Fontes and Wilmotte. And in 1990, work began on the Dome which would be inaugurated in October 1992. The new renovation work on the halls, discussed for three years, "are postponed, glides Valentine Wolber. They will not be done before 2026.