TRIE-SUR-BAÏSE, France — The commune of Trie-sur-Baïse in southwest France is hosting the 43rd edition of La Pourcailhade this August. The event, known locally as the Festival of the Pig, features traditional displays, eating contests and a pig-squealing championship.
Located in the Hautes-Pyrénées department, the town draws approximately 4,000 visitors during the festival — four times its typical resident count — underscoring its regional pull.
La Pourcailhade also includes pig races and various competitions rooted in the area's agricultural heritage and pork-centered cuisine. The festival serves as a cultural anchor for the Pays des Coteaux administrative area.
Trie-sur-Baïse is a royal fortified town founded in 1323 as a bastide. Its establishment was formalized by a paréage contract signed by Jean de Trie, the Seneschal of Toulouse and representative of the king, alongside seigneur Bernard Duffort Manas, seigneur Gerald of Esparros and Father Roger Mauleon of the Escaladieu abbey.
The town's early history included significant conflict. In 1355, the Prince of Wales — known as the Black Prince — besieged and destroyed the town during his campaigns across southwest France in the Hundred Years' War. Reconstruction began a decade later, in 1365.
The town's layout follows the classic bastide structure, with a central square surrounded by stone houses and shops under arcades. The original market building at its center has been replaced by a more recent iron structure.
A local legend holds that in Aug. 1355, inhabitants gathered to determine a church site when snow fell, covering the ground except for a cross-shaped area. That spot became the first chapel, dedicated to Our Lady of the Snow, who remains the town's patron. The event is commemorated annually on the first Sunday of August.
The Carmes monastery was established in 1365. A major fire in 1659 destroyed most of its main buildings, though the church was partly saved. Rebuilding took place over the subsequent 60 to 70 years.
The town's church underwent a full restoration in 1992 and now serves as a cultural activities center. It exemplifies meridional Gothic architecture, and its cloister was reconstructed stone by stone at The Cloisters museum in New York City.
Trie-sur-Baïse sits beside the Baïse river, which runs through the Gers, Lot-et-Garonne and Hautes-Pyrénées departments. The commune serves as an administrative hub for 22 surrounding villages and a junction for five roads connecting to Castelnau-Magnoac, Lannemezan, Miélan, Mirande and Tarbes.
Beyond the festival, the town supports daily life with local shops and a traditional market held every Tuesday in the town center. From December through February, a special marché au gras featuring goose and duck products takes place on Sundays.
