Cheese Festivals - Celebrating Artisan Traditions

Livarot Cheese Festival

Normandy's Livarot festival honors "the colonel" (le colonel), nicknamed for the five bands traditionally circling this pungent cheese. The festival combines cheese competitions with broader celebrations of Norman dairy culture.

"Cheese festivals aren't just about tasting," explains affineur Laurent Mons. "They're about preserving artisanal methods against industrial standardization. When you see farmers hand-ladling curd, you understand why real cheese costs more."

Demonstrations include traditional cheese-making, aging techniques, and pairing workshops. Recent additions address lactose intolerance and plant-based alternatives, showing how traditions adapt to contemporary dietary needs.

Roquefort Celebrations

Roquefort-sur-Soulzon celebrates its famous blue cheese with festivals emphasizing the AOC's strict requirements – sheep's milk only, aged in natural caves. Visitors tour caves where millions of wheels mature in perfect humidity, understanding how geography creates flavor.

The festival includes sheep exhibitions, shepherd dog demonstrations, and explanations of transhumance traditions. This holistic approach shows cheese as culmination of entire agricultural systems, not isolated products.