Apple and Autumn Flavors Festival

Every year at the Arche de la nature, the Apple and Autumn Flavors Festival celebrates the treasures of the orchard and the seasonal vegetable garden. On Sunday, November 1, from 2 to 6 PM, the Maison de la Prairie in Yvré-l'Évêque opens its doors for a free, delicious afternoon. Visitors can taste many local apple varieties alongside the Croqueurs de pommes, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving heritage apple varieties. The festival also showcases living agricultural heritage, with demonstrations of antique machines: a motorized cider press stands alongside another, rarer press, powered by a Percheron draft horse. A brotherhood devoted to a regional chestnut variety rounds out the scene, alongside stalls featuring walnuts, winter squash, and quinces — flavors that embody the abundance of autumn in the Sarthe. The event is organized by the Arche de la nature, a site run by Le Mans Métropole, which offers year-round activities on nature, rural heritage, and traditional farming practices across its large estate east of the Le Mans metropolitan area.