The 24th edition of the Witches' Festival will take place on 29 and 30 October 2022 at the Fort du Cognelot.
In the past, the farmers of the Langres region feared the devil, nicknamed the Foulletot. According to local belief, the latter lived on the hill of Cognelot where, dressed in red clothes, he presided over the sabbath of witches and wizards, who came from the surrounding villages. But in Chalindrey, as in the whole of the Languedoc region, a ruthless war was waged against so-called witches. One of its inhabitants, Clément Rabiet, was declared a sorcerer and executed in 1598 for having boasted of having met the Devil. This famous trial illustrated a few pages of the history of Chalindrey and earned it the name of "Land of Witches".
The witches' festival, a nod to the historical past of Chalindrey and its region, appeals to the child's imagination and takes him or her to a fantastic place full of all kinds of activities: Fort Vercingétorix, known as the Cognelot. Built in 1877, this military structure has more than 15 exhibition rooms and will host numerous exhibitors as well as magical and monstrous animations and decorations.
Nearly 50 exhibitors are expected over the two days to offer gift ideas, sweets of all kinds, chrysanthemums for All Saints' Day, ideas for meals with local products, accessories to celebrate Halloween as it should be and animations of all kinds. And don't forget the bread oven from which the wizards' bread will be baked. Unusual, rare and high quality exhibitions. Numerous activities and decorations are planned, including, for example, theatrical sketches interacting with the public (witches and beggars), the permanent and interactive animation of mysterious characters in the niches at the entrance to the fort, who will enchant you with their beautiful words. Or the strolling musicians who will lead us into beautiful musical arabesques.