France Hosts Pig-Squealing Championship

One of France’s most unusual championships took place in Trie-sur-Baïse on 9 August — a competition to imitate the cry of a pig. The contest was held as part of the 43rd Pourcailhade festival, dedicated to pigs and local gastronomic traditions. The celebration attracts thousands of spectators every year, and its entertainment includes piglet races, a blood sausage-eating contest and, of course, the pig-squealing championship.

The star of this year’s competition was Norman native Noël Jamet. Before the contest, he was aiming for his tenth French championship title, and ultimately emerged as the winner once again. For Jamet, this is far more than a casual hobby: he has taken part in similar competitions since 2004, and his performance is a full show — he portrays different stages in a pig’s life, from birth and feeding to courtship and the characteristic squeal.

Jamet says that he has been able to imitate animal sounds since childhood, thanks to his parents’ farm in Normandy. Over time, a simple parody turned into a genuine stage performance. He even designed a special costume, and before performances he observes real pigs to make his imitation as convincing as possible. According to the champion, real pigs sometimes respond to his squeal and come over to him.

The festival itself has a history spanning almost half a century. The tradition began in Trie-sur-Baïse in the 1970s, when the town was a major centre for piglet trading. The first Pourcailhade festival took place in 1981, and over time the unusual celebration became a trademark of the small town. This year, organisers expected around 4,000 visitors — approximately four times the population of Trie-sur-Baïse itself.

In addition to the squealing championship, guests could watch piglet races and a contest to see who could eat blood sausage the fastest. The programme concluded with other unusual competitions, including a toy pig-throwing event.

So the French expression «to squeal like a pig» is taken literally in Trie-sur-Baïse: here, the most convincing squeal can make you a national champion — and even earn you a place in the contest’s history, like Noël Jamet, who won his tenth title.