Saint Julien Festival

The joy of the post-war period filled the festival that lasted during several days, from Friday to Monday. There were always the same musicians from Antibes, and the same people set up the tents every year.

At the fairgrounds, vendors came to sell nougat and there were raffles, petanque tournaments and roumpa pignata, clay piñatas for the kids. I remember a stand with a game where you had to knock over a coin, and no one could do it.

In the beginning, there was a cocktail reception and a parade. We also passed the hat: a very happy memory of the festival.

The band included an accordion, a bass drum and a soprano saxophone. We would walk through streets of the village following the musicians, dancing and having waltzing competitions. There was a stage on the square, and a traditional folk group came from Saint-Tropez to demonstrate Provençal culture. The most memorable event for me was the beauty pageant.