Long Weekend: Antique Hunting at France's Braderie de Lille

Europe's largest flea market, moules frites, and plenty of French Joie de Vivre

If you love design, antiques, or vintage fashion, a trip to France’s famous flea markets and brocantes is probably on your wishlist. But did you know the largest antique and flea market in Europe takes place every September in Lille?

When my friend Stephanie, who is from the area, suggested the Braderie to me over lunch earlier this summer, it seemed like a perfect — and perfectly interesting — way to cap off the season, so I jumped in with both feet and booked my partner Andrew and I in for a long weekend at Hotel Carlton Lille on the Grand Place, right in the heart of the Braderie — without, truth be told, fully realizing just how much fun we were about to have.

After all, how do you explain what it’s like to spend the weekend with 2.5 million friends you’ve never met — in an atmosphere that’s one part music festival (think Glastonbury, Coachella or Bonnaroo), one part world’s longest yard sale (for American readers), and two parts French joie de vivre?

Mentioned first in 1127 as the “Franche Foire,” Braderie de Lille began as a foreign traders market — and a place where servants could sell their masters’ cast-off goods. Over the course of nearly 900 years, le Braderie has become Europe’s largest open-air flea market and festival, attracting more than 10,000 vendors and 2-3 million visitors from all over the world for two non-stop days of festive buying, selling, moules frites eating and dancing in the streets.

Lille itself is a beautiful city on France’s northeastern border with Belgium. You can see the Belgian influence in the architecture and the food, with wide open squares or “places” flowing into winding cobbled streets lined with houses and buildings that blend mansard roofs and classic facades with stepped gables in what frequently feels like a storybook blend of French and Flemish. Visit one of the many estaminets (rustic cafes and bistros) lining the old city, and you’ll similarly find a hearty mix of Flemish dishes like Carbonade Flamande (beef stew), Tarte au Maroilles (Maroilles cheese tart) and local speciality Gaufre Fourrée Lilloise (a sweet stuffed waffle) alongside traditional French fare.

At the Braderie, however, it’s all about the moules frites — the “unofficial official” dish of the Braderie, it’s nothing short of an obligation to indulge in steaming bowls of mussels, a side of fries and some local beer at least once (or maybe twice in my case!) - and the streets are lined with tables packed with people doing just that. Many restaurants pile the mussel shells outside on the street in a friendly contest to show how much they’ve served (not to worry: all the shells are recycled into road surfaces, furniture, and other materials for the city!).

Friday

When we arrived mid-morning after an early start to take Le Shuttle (the car train) from Folkestone to Calais and a short drive up to Lille (the Eurostar goes direct from London to Lille if you’re not driving), the mood was already festive.

A beautiful lunch of seafood, champagne and pastries at Meert, the patisserie, restaurant and salon de thè that has been a Lille institution since the 18th century, set the stage for a leisurely afternoon exploring Vieux-Lille (Lille’s old town), pausing at cafes for a coffee and some people-watching as tents were erected, stages constructed, stalls set up, and the crowd swelled buoyantly towards the evening. (Lunch at Meert is a must — though not in the midst of le Braderie unless you have the patience of a saint to queue. Reservations are recommended regardless.)

Saturday

Buoyant is the only way to describe the atmosphere pervading every nook and cranny of the city for the next 48 hours. After an early hotel breakfast (who doesn’t love a French hotel breakfast?) we joined the throngs of people strolling the 100K / 62 miles of vendors (yes, you read that correctly) to search for treasures and soak it all in.

On paper, packing 2-3 million people and 10,000 vendors into one smallish city should not work — and for the crowd-averse reading this, I know what you’re thinking: endless queues, long waits, and lots of nudging and pushing. I thought this too — and as someone who does not love crowds at all, I was amazed with how comfortable and easy it was to walk around with plenty of opportunity browse stalls at leisure. With so many people in one place, the crowd moves like water in and out of buildings, walkways and alleyways - it’s simply a matter of joining in and, quite literally, going with the flow.

As the throngs swelled throughout the day, so did the jubilance: on any given corner or in any given square at any given moment brass bands popped up and restaurants blared music spurring spontaneous outbursts of song and dance, and everyone it seemed, was there for a good time.

Amid the festivities, trolling the 600 official brocanteur stalls (plus the thousands of “unofficial” stalls lining, well, everywhere) for antique and vintage finds is serious business. Dealers and buyers come from around the world to buy and sell; anything and everything seems to be on offer, and bartering is an absolute must. Chandeliers, taxidermy, paintings, furniture, fashion, light fittings, rugs, ceramics, jewelry are all up for grabs, and for the swift and eagle-eyed, it’s a phenomenal opportunity to pick up one-of-a-kind finds for bargain.

As the day progresses, it’s fun to spot people making their way through the crowds lugging random treasurs — from rugs draped over shoulders to pictures, mirrors, stuffed animal heads, or trombones wedged precariously under an arm. (Pro tip: if you are planning on making a purchase or two, having a strong bag or even a tow-along suitcase or cart is essential).

By nightfall, the whole city had transformed into one gigantic nightclub, with 16 DJs stationed around the town replete with lights, smoke, beats that could make a telephone pole dance, and an intoxicating sense of joy. Emerging from dinner in a quiet courtyard we found the streets had turned into dance floors and people of every age (from toddlers to octagenarians) were out for a good time.

(Pro tip: If you’re in a group, splitting into pairs for dinner often means you can skip the queue — everywhere we went, restaurants could quickly seat two people while groups of four, six or more had to stand and wait).

Back at Hotel Carlton Lille later that night, we were pleasantly surprised at how little outside noise we could hear (especially given the volume in the streets!). Ensconced in our cosy fifth-floor room we enjoyed the rooftop views while glorious madness of the party surged on below with no sign of stopping.

Sunday

As someone who relishes a slow, leisurely Sunday morning, this was my favourite part of the weekend. Having taken our time over breakfast, we strolled coffee-in-hand back to Republique des Beaux Arts and along the Boulevard de la Liberte where the official brocanteurs are positioned, basking in the warm morning light and taking advantage of a lighter, more casual crowd to take a closer look at some of the more interesting vendors we had spotted the day before. Fueled by caffeine and a pain au chocolat, I bartered for a vintage red basket, a small floral still life, and a French gilt mirror sourced for a friend, which seemed like the perfect way to end our foray.

Then, sadly, it was one last lunch of moules frites and beer before a short drive back to “the chunnel” and home.

Most certainly a weekend “fête” acomplis.

emma x

P.S. Want to join me for a trip to the Braderie next year? Drop me a message!