Foire Internationale Antiquités et Brocante de l’Isle sur la Sorgue

If you’re not familiar with Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, that’s OK. It’s kind of a well-kept secret. Which is somewhat paradoxical when you know what it is famous for. Located 25km east of Avignon, between Carpentras and Cavaillon, Isle-sur-la-Sorgue is one of those typical Provencal places you just have to see: a square surrounded by cafes and shops with delicious smells and window displays, little bridges to cross, narrow old streets lined with plane trees and green foliage, and several large, beautiful water wheels.

So what makes Isle-sur-la-Sorgue so special from a flea market point of view, apart from its beautiful surroundings? Well, this tiny village of 22,000 souls has one of the highest densities of antique dealers and second-hand shops in the world: there is no less than one antique shop for every 70 inhabitants!

Over the last thirty years, Isle-sur-la-Sorgue has become the antiques capital of the world, with almost 300 permanent antiques and second-hand shops. One of the most famous places in the town is undoubtedly L’Ile aux Brocantes. This antique village brings together around forty antique shops and the restaurant “Le Bistrot de Coco” on the banks of the Sorgue. This place is an invitation to enthusiastic shoppers and antique lovers alike and guarantees an unforgettable shopping experience that will leave you enchanted and reluctant to leave without a precious possession in hand.

As if that were not enough, Isle-sur-la-Sorgue hosts a major antiques fair twice a year, in spring and summer. The fair (called Foire de l’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue Antiques Art & You) started in 1966 with 14 exhibitors and now welcomes more than 450 exhibitors (in addition to the 300 permanent antique dealers and second-hand shops) and is one of the largest antique and second-hand fairs in Europe – some even say that Isle-sur-la-Sorgue now forms one of the cardinal points of the “antique” golden triangle in Western Europe, along with London and Paris. That may be a little far-fetched…

If you manage to fight your way through the 120,000 visitors who flock to the fair twice a year, you should be able to find some pretty Provençal boutis, beautifully patinated ceramics, antique furniture, old crockery, rare finds and other collectibles and memorabilia from the South of France.

All in all, with half a thousand professional exhibitors and shops, a dozen antique villages organised by theme (contemporary art, antique books, design/decoration…), a quality charter that puts the event above any suspicion, the Isle-sur-la-Sorgue antiques fair is as much Ali Baba’s cave for flea market lovers as it is a potential goldmine for antique dealers.