On 12 April 2026, the Chartreuse celebrates one of its most emblematic treasures: cheese. Now in its third year, the Fête des Fromages promises a day of food and festivities in Saint-Laurent-du-Pont, with tastings, workshops and cookery demonstrations.
Spring is just around the corner in the Chartreuse massif the smell of cheese is already wafting through the streets. On Sunday 12 April, Saint-Laurent-du-Pont will be hosting the third edition of the Chartreuse Cheese Festival, organised by the Chartreuse Cheese Association.’Coeur de Chartreuse Tourist Office.
Set up around the town hall park and rue Pasteur, the event attracts between 3,000 and 4,000 visitors each year to discover the region's dairy expertise. For this 2026 edition, the organisers have chosen an original theme: «when cheese becomes dessert», a way of exploring the many ways of working this emblematic product, between tradition and creativity.
A renowned patron for a unique masterclass
This year's event will feature a special guest. Cheesemaker Rose Diaz-Rebotton, a well-known figure in the Savoyard cheese world and manager of the Laiterie des Marches dairy, will be the patron of this year's event.
In front of an audience, she will be offering a masterclass in «cheese and dessert», a live creation combining local produce and pastry-making techniques. The public will be able to follow the creation of this original recipe step by step, and leave with advice on how to reproduce the experience at home.
This eagerly-awaited event will showcase the gourmet potential of cheese far beyond the traditional cheese platter.
Market, tastings and gourmet competitions
All day long, the festival will take on the air of a large gastronomic market. Around thirty exhibitors - local cheesemakers, producers, craftsmen and designers - will be offering their specialities to visitors.
Tastings will of course be at the heart of the event, with emblematic local products such as Saint-Marcellin, Saint-Félicien and Bleu du Vercors-Sassenage, not forgetting wines and artisanal products from Isère.
Enthusiasts will also be able to take part in tasting workshops and round-table discussions on the job of the creamery-cheesemaker, production techniques and the differences between raw, thermised and pasteurised milk.
A popular family festival
Another highlight of the day: a cheese dessert competition, open to the public. Participants will have to come up with their own sweet creations based on cheese, before a professional jury decides between the most original recipes.
Designed as an event accessible to all, the festival also offers a wide range of activities for families. Children will be able to take part in creative cheese workshops, design their own graffitied mini-dameuses or learn about cheese-making techniques in educational workshops.
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