It’s this weekend, in France, that the biggest raclette in the world will take place

At the Parc des Expositions in Saint-Étienne, a new French world record will set a milestone on March 17, 2024: that of the largest raclette ever organized. The event, already sold out, will have around 2,300 participants - the previous record had brought together 1,067 people. The tickets sold at breakneck speed, in just 5 days more than 1700 tickets had already been purchased, and the last 300 that were added to the sale were gone in just over a minute...

“The previous record was held by students from Chambéry,” explains to Le Figaro the actor and humorist Laurent Regairaz - alias Chicandier, at the origin of the project with his sidekick Mathias Cannariato - alias Mathou Cann. Faced with the enormous success of the ticket office, which we did not necessarily expect, we realized that we were going to have to orchestrate careful preparation. We therefore teamed up with Maxime Bray and Maxime Balouzat, founder of the Coïncidence agency. »

The objective is simple: organize a friendly, festive and comforting event in the city of Saint-Etienne, and also highlight the different local producers. On the program, a giant raclette of course, entertainment, regional product stands, and guest personalities with great chefs like César Troisgros, Xavier Pincemin, Lionel Levy, or Charles Fontes. The profits from the VIP table as well as the profits from the sale of a painting which will be auctioned that day will be donated to the association will be donated to the DNA association, which aims to raise awareness and promote the inclusion of people with disabilities in their daily lives.

The largest raclette in the world in a few figures: 600 kilos of cheese, 330 kilos of cold meats, and a ton of potatoes. “The Swiss, the Savoyards… Many are very surprised that the event is taking place in Saint-Étienne,” says Laurent Regairaz. But that's part of the game: we want to get the regions talking to each other and get away from the academic side which requires that a particular dish or tradition be automatically associated with a region. » It is true that raclette is a dish that is eaten all over France.

The only uncertainty: as always, the weather. It would indeed be absurd for this largest raclette in the world to take place under a blazing sun and high temperatures! The actor has already planned his next move - if all goes well, for next September: the biggest sauerkraut in the world in Saint-Tropez! “The idea will be to taste this traditional Alsatian dish with Provence wines, with the same goal of crossing the regions,” he explains.