When is the Boule-in Bildeston Fete du Printemps 2023?

While we can’t pack our big coats away just yet, the evenings are slowly getting lighter and the bulbs are starting to poke their heads out of the soil. 

And at The Boule-In at Bildeston, plans are well underway for their Fete du Printemps.

Three times a year Cathy and Peter Bullen transform their home into a unique theatrical shopping experience. 

Held at the beginning of April, the event aims to create a French Easter in Suffolk, and sees their house, barns and garden turned into a treasure trove of decorative lifestyle accessories and authentic antiques.

If you’ve followed Angel and Dick Strawbridge’s French adventures on the TV show Escape to the Chateau, then Fete du Printemps will be pure heaven. 

All the pieces are sourced direct from Provence and are handpicked. 

“We spend five months a year scouring the best French markets and brocantes, so you don’t have to,” says Cathy. 

There is something for everyone from “gorgeous French baskets, Biöt glass goblets to French tables, chairs and gardenalia for you to enjoy in your English garden this spring.” 

Peter and Cathy’s passion for the French lifestyle originated from a three-year military posting to Provence where Peter worked as the British liaison officer with the French military helicopter school Ecole Franco-Allemand.

Cathy, a dance tutor for Ipswich based DanceEast, joined him in France, where she loved treasure hunting at the local brocantes – the French equivalent of a flea market.

The Boule-in was launched in 2012 on their return to Suffolk, from a single tent in the garden - six years later it was voted one of the UK’s 50 Top Small Fairs by Mark Hill of the Antiques Roadshow, for Homes and Antiques Magazine. 

READ MORE: Inside Lavenham's gorgeous new fashion boutique

Alongside the French interior and garden vintage and antique pieces, there will be beautiful contemporary lifestyle accessories, cushions, carpets and rugs from Faro and The Rug and Carpet Studio. 

There will be scrumptious homemade hamper foods by pâtissier Abi Sarton and bouquets by Helen Newman Flowers, as well as unusual bulbs from Riverside Bulbs. 

There will also be coffee and cakes to enjoy in the garden and children can have a go at making their own Easter flower crowns.

Cathy says that she has a special fondness for Fête du Printemps - they also hold a summer event and one at Christmas.

“Fête du Printemps is a particular favourite of mine. It’s colours, it's flowers and the feeling we can finally get outdoors,” she says. 

“I just love to embrace all the charm that spring offers after the cold of winter.”  

And they love passing on their years of experience dealing with French object d’art, giving knowledge and provenance to customers, making each piece unique and personal. 

“Because we buy everything ourselves, we have a personal back story to each piece. It’s delightful to know that a beloved Provençale farmhouse table will be equally treasured in an English home,” says Cathy. 

“I’m a huge believer that things are to be used and loved, never shut up in a cupboard for best: antiques, vintage, pre-loved - whatever you want to call them,” she says. 

Embracing sustainable, pre-loved pieces is at the heart of The Boule-in’s ethos. 

“Conscientious living is the future, so mix up styles and fill your home with what you love and don’t be afraid of antiques - after all they were new to someone once,” says Cathy. 

Fête du Printemps at The Boule-in runs from Saturday April 1 to Monday April 10, except Easter Sunday, April 9. It’s open from 10am-6pm daily. Admission is free. 

The Boule-in supports four charities close to Peter and Cathy’s hearts. A percentage of proceeds is split between Combat Stress, Macmillan Cancer Support, Bildeston Church Restoration Fund and Community Action Suffolk (Ukrainian aid).

To see more, visit boule-in.co.uk or follow on Instagram @theboulein