Retour des Alpages in Annecy: the 10 October 2026 edition and the tradition

Once a year, the herds come down into Annecy’s old town. The Retour des Alpages — the return from the alpine pastures — celebrates the animals leaving the high summer grazing to spend the winter in the valley: they cross the historic centre among craftspeople, old trades, folk groups and traditional instruments. It is the town’s biggest autumn festival. The 2026 edition took place on Saturday 10 October; here is what to know about it, and how to enjoy the next one rather than endure it.

When, where, how much

• 2026 edition: held on Saturday 10 October 2026, 9 am to 6 pm.
• 2027 edition: date not announced yet.
• Where: Annecy’s old town.
• The highlight: the parade of animals and folk groups at 2:30 pm, over about 2.5 km.
• Price: free, open to all.

As of 12 October 2026, the tourist office’s page still shows the 2026 edition and gives no date for 2027. The same page notes that the festival is held on the second Saturday of October; it has been organised since 1973 by the Annecy Traditions association. Still, wait for the official date before booking a weekend around it.

How the day unfolds

• Morning: craftspeople and animals set up in town. It is the best time to see the animals up close, before the crowds, and to browse the stalls of local produce.
• 2:30 pm: the parade. Several hundred animals and groups in period costume make their way through the old town — the high point, and the moment the streets are fullest.
• Until late afternoon: entertainment, demonstrations of old trades, traditional music and dance.

What the festival is about

At the start of autumn, the herds come down from the summer pastures where they spent the warm months. That return to the valley has been celebrated in the Alps since the Middle Ages; Annecy has made a whole day of it, with “forgotten” skills, old-time flavours and the tradition of mountain farming. It is not a show staged for visitors: these are farmers and their animals.

Next time: how to make the most of it

• Come in the morning. Between setting-up time and lunch you can move around, see the animals without fighting for a spot, and taste before the queues form.
• Pick your spot for 2:30 pm by 1:30 pm. The route is 2.5 km long: move away from the heart of the old town, where everyone gathers, and you will see the same parade with room to breathe.
• Eat early or late. Between noon and 2 pm the old-town restaurants are overrun; lunch at 11:45 or after the parade changes the day.
• Leave the car. On a big festival Saturday the centre is gridlocked: bus, bike along the greenway, or park on the outskirts and walk in.
• With children, keep the parade as the reward and the morning for the animals: that is when they really see them. Our Annecy with kids guide fills in the rest of the weekend.

What we wouldn’t do

• Turn up at 2:25 pm hoping to see something from the Pont des Amours.
• Push a buggy into the parade crowd. In the morning, yes; at 2:30 pm in the heart of the old town, it is an ordeal.
• Stay for just an hour. The festival is a whole day: morning for the animals and stalls, afternoon for the parade, and late afternoon by the lake, quiet again.

The Retour des Alpages is the high point of a month we love: colours on the Semnoz, a greenway handed back to locals, low light on the lake. With the festival over, October carries on: our guide to Annecy in October covers the rest of the month, the Toussaint school holidays start on 17 October, and Halloween in Annecy rounds up the castle and neighbourhood events. The what’s on page lists the other dates. To plan your autumn days, our Annecy-specialised AI concierge writes the programme hour by hour with the verified events on your dates. My trip, for free →