The great celebration of the National Road 7 Lapalisse traffic jam!

8th Historical reconstruction from the 50s and 60s on the legendary N7

Pays de Lapalisse - 9/10/11 October 2020

Lapalisse, symbolic city of the mythical National 7

With paid holidays, the N7 becomes the Blue Road, the midday sun attracts northerners, the term traffic jam then applies to the City of Truths. It is the development of restaurants, inns, gas stations in this "Nostable passage in Bourbonnais", located at the crossroads of major road axes, and with the numerous adjacent streets as at the foot of the castle of M. de La Palice.

Every 2 years, “the only traffic jam that we don't try to avoid! "

When the Lapalisse diversion was put into service in 2006, the local and passionate desire to symbolically mark the end of this historic crossing of the N7 and, the meeting with the historian Thierry Dubois, triggered the creation on October 28, 2006 , from the "last traffic jam in the 50s and 60s" honoring the blue road. The success is immediate. Since then, every 2 years the second weekend of October, the famous Grand Embouteillage brings together more than 1,000 French and European crews and more than 25,000 visitors, bringing back to life the great departures on vacation towards the Côte d'Azur.

All the art of traveling in the time of the sixties: cardboard suitcase, regional pennant, straw hat ...

Participants and visitors put on period outfits, they gather in Lapalisse to revive the "old National" with its traffic of yesteryear, and compose this tasty popular fresco, the galleries loaded with luggage: the scenes of vacation s improvise along the way to the delight of the crowd gathered along the Blue Route, we get to know each other, we take out a briefcase, tablecloth and napkins, table or bench, we meet around a picnic in a very festive atmosphere, the rock n roll, swing or guinguette atmosphere invites you to dance, we sing Nationale 7! Everyone is going to relive in 2020, for the 8th edition, this unique eventful journey, this incessant parade of cars, caravans, scooters, gendarmes, firefighters, hitchhikers, and this great flashback with shows, yéyé concerts , retro markets… At the same time, each edition of the road heritage is highlighted (road sign, wall advertising, discovery itinerary). Mythical sites thus regain their colors of yesteryear.

Come fill up on the joy of living in the Land of Truths on October 9,10,11, 2020!

The tone was set: "Summer 1965, at the wheel of your Aronde on the Nationale 7, you are stuck again in Lapalisse: tell mom is it still far from the sea?" " On October 9, 10 and 11, 2020, the event celebrating the mythical Nationale 7 will shine the Pays de Lapalisse on a national and European scale and will once again be an authentic concentrate of good humor, meetings and dreams!

Renewed retro festival

An 8th edition that will keep all its promises in terms of retro entertainment, with the highlight of the famous reconstitution of holiday departures in the 50s and 60s, on Saturdays, and its 1,000 registered vehicles welcomed. 6 depart villages will distribute traffic on the 30 km long route. We will attend the presentation of an exceptional range of vehicles from the 50s and 65s around an entertainment program, over several days from Friday to Sunday and retro meetings throughout the week with new features: new reconstructions, great show opening yéyé, swing concerts, guinguette and rock n'roll, and retro dancing, vintage bicycle race, 1960s cinema, vintage coach rides, retro shops ... without forgetting the many traditional events: villages exhibitors (exchange, vintage, terroir, crafts, retro flea market), reconstructions of vintage service station, retro campsite, vintage photo studio, pin-up parade, certified test, popular elegance contest, shop window games, National menu 7 ... Lovers of mythical roads and popular atmospheres, passionate about the art of living, we invite you to come and sing the legendary Nationale 7!

Useful information

Conditions of participation and registration vehicles 50-65 years & full program of entertainment from 20/03 on the website www.embouteillage-n7-lapalisse.com

To eat, go out, stay and organize your trip to Lapalisse visit the Tourist Office website www.lapalisse-tourisme.com