Scallops return to Montmartre as the 20th anniversary festival celebrates Brittany’s flagship fishery, with 100,000 visitors expected
Scallop Festival Returns to Paris Landmark
The scallop will once again take centre stage in Paris this weekend as the Fête de la coquille Saint‑Jacques et de la Saint‑Vincent returns to Montmartre for its 20th edition.
The popular food festival will take place on Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 January on the Place des Abbesses, bringing Brittany’s emblematic shellfish to the heart of the French capital.
Organisers expect around 100,000 visitors over the two days, with approximately one tonne of scallop meat forecast to be sold during the event.
Celebrating a Breton Culinary Icon
Often described as the “pearl of the Bay of Saint‑Brieuc”, the scallop (Pecten maximus) remains one of Brittany’s most important and celebrated seafood products.
The festival, which will run until the end of January, aims to promote public awareness of the species, which is in season each year until mid‑May.
The event was originally created through a partnership between the Rhéginéenne Association of Scallops from Erquy and the Commanderie du Clos Montmartre. This year’s edition is coordinated with the support of Pêche d’Armor, acting as the event arm of the Departmental Fisheries Committee of Côtes‑d’Armor.
Bay of Saint‑Brieuc at the Centre of Production
Brittany is home to around ten significant scallop grounds, including areas off Brest, Morlaix, Saint‑Malo, the Glénan and Groix islands, Belle‑Île and Quiberon.
The Bay of Saint‑Brieuc remains the principal production area, with more than 200 vessels operating in the fishery and close to 10,000 tonnes landed annually. The fishery benefits from several quality designations, including MSC certification and Label Rouge status.
All scallop grounds are subject to regular stock assessments and health controls, which determine whether harvesting is permitted in each area.
Strictly Regulated Seasonal Fishery
The French scallop season runs from 1 October to 15 May, with a legally defined minimum landing size of 10.5 cm, rising to 11 cm in parts of Brittany such as the Roadstead of Brest.
Fishing activity is tightly controlled through sector‑specific rules governing trip duration and authorised volumes.
In Brittany, scallops are mainly harvested using dredges, with more than 500 licences issued, alongside a smaller number of diving licences.
Long‑Running Research and Stock Support Programmes
Professional organisations in Brittany continue to support the scallop fishery through a range of scientific and technical programmes.
These include the COSB programme, launched in the 1970s, which represents the longest‑running French scientific monitoring programme for a fish stock, based on collaboration between fishermen and scientists.
Additional initiatives focus on commercial development and production, including the PECTEN and PROCOGEN projects.
The Tinduff hatchery in Plougastel‑Daoulas, established in 1983, plays a central role in supplying juvenile scallops for restocking, using broodstock selected from different Breton fishing grounds.
Promoting Seafood and Culinary Traditions
Alongside its focus on fishing and sustainability, the Montmartre festival highlights the culinary versatility of scallops, with food demonstrations and public tastings forming a central part of the weekend programme.
Organisers describe the event as an opportunity to showcase both the product itself and the work of Brittany’s fishermen, while temporarily transforming one of Paris’s best‑known neighbourhoods into what they describe as a Breton village.
