IMAGES FROM THE FETE DES COUSSOULS

Organised as part of the LIFE project, the event aimed to raise awareness about the Crau grasshopper, its natural habitat—the coussoul—and celebrate the many stakeholders shaping the unique and complex area of the Crau Plain. Attendees included breeders, shepherds, producers, associations, elected officials, public agencies, regional nature parks, research laboratories, mixed unions, artisans, and creators.

Children in the spotlight…

But where is ‘Mr Crau grasshopper’ hiding? Children spent all day solving the riddles of this treasure hunt, moving from stand to stand with their families. Along the way, they enjoyed butterfly face painting, playing with wooden toys, adding strokes to a collective fresco, crafting paper masks or clay insects, take a break at the mini-dwarf donkey farm… Children were spoilt for choice.

And for adults too

Visitors strolled through a local producers’ and artisans’ market, tasted Crau lamb from  Ferme Lou Craven and samples “La Criquette”, a special organic craft beer brewed for the occasion by the Brasserie Artisanale Arlésienne, featuring the emblematic Crau Plain Grasshopper.

The day was marked by a number of guided nature tours, exhibitions and film screenings. Another eagerly-awaited event was the sheepdog demonstrations, featuring a border collie and its handler, which captivated the public.

No celebration is complete without music! The band Legendàri delivered up a set of fantastical tales from the Pays d”Arles, creating an atmosphere that alternated between festive and introspective.

The Fête des Coussouls was inaugurated in the morning by Yves Vidal, Bouches-du-Rhône departmental councillor, Henri Spini, President of the Conservatoire d’espaces naturels de Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, and Patrick Lévêque, President of the Bouches-du-Rhône Chamber of Agriculture.