Transhumance: Sheepish in St. Remy

Monday May 28th is the annual Fête de la Transhumance in St. Remy, where local shepherds herd their flocks (roughly 3500 sheep and goats) three times around the village's circular "main drag" before taking them up to graze the green pastures of the Alpilles for the summer months. Transhumance is considered one of the 100 Prettiest Festivals in France and if you haven't seen it, it's great good fun. (My friend Philippe calls it ''sheep cooking in the streets.'') It starts officially around 10:30 am but arrive earlier to find parking because the streets are closed off. There's also an all-day flea market on the Place Republique, starting at 9 am. Up at the Plateau de la Crau at noon, there will be sheep-herding demonstrations and food served.  For more info about the Transhumance in St. Remy, call 04 90 92 05 22 or click here. As part of the Transhumance festival, the Cine Palace in St. Remy will be screening the documentary Sweetgrass, which you can read all about here. The film is in its original English-language version, with French subtitles. On Sunday May 27, the showtime is 8:45 pm,  with an art exhibit beforehand and a discussion on Provencal history and traditions afterwards. Admission is free but you must reserve by calling 04 90 47 99 54. On Monday May 28, the film will be shown at 6:30 pm and normal ticket prices apply. 

Thanks once again to Guy Butters for the great Transhumance photos. You can visit Guy's website here and see more of his wonderful photography here and here. You can also follow him on Twitter.