Pontarlier
Pontarlier, the crib of French absinthe, the Couvet of France! This is where absinthe were brought by Henri-Louis Pernod at the beginning of the 19th century and the most important place of absinthe production in France, even today. Home to the Guy Distillery, among others, and the host of 2 annual absinthe festivals:
This cultural festival is held every year, the first weekend in October, since 2001. It is arranged by the Pontarlier Absinthe Museum and have grown to be (one of) the biggest absinthe festivals in the world! For one weekend, thousands of experts, amateurs, distillers and absintheurs are gathered to experience all things absinthe! Here you can find absinthe exhibitions, conferences, shows (for example cabaret), guided tours of the distilleries, tasing contests and much more. There is also absinthe contests where distillers can submit their absinthes for reviews by experts and of course compete against each other. This might be the most respected absinthe competition in the world, so to win a price here means a lot and distillers are quick to tell you if their absinthes has won any prices here.
Maybe a less known festival, orchestrated by the city of Pontarlier. It´s held every year in time for the wormwood harvest as a reminder of the importance of the absinthe industry to the city. To be honest, I can’t find much info about this, most sources leads me to the Absinthiades, but it seems like the distilleries get a lot of attention (as is fitting), there may be some sampling and so on. Might be more of a festival for the locals?