The Little Tram of Horror: A Terrifying All Saints’ Day Experience in Villeneuve-sur-Lot

Patiently, around thirty people wait along the Villeneuve Town Hall park stop. With their eyes fixed on the other end of Boulevard Georges-Leygues, parents and children await the arrival of this fall’s attraction in the streets of the bastide. Flashing lights on, here it comes: the tram from the Villeneuve – Vallée du Lot tourist office is dressed in its autumn outfit. Those who have already taken it this summer will find the carriages of this atypical boat, with the difference that cobwebs have come to adorn the panoramic roofs.

Up front, in driver Valentin’s cabin, a large pumpkin announces the color. And when a butcher, his apron full of blood stains, comes down from this cabin to scare the children, everyone is immersed in the atmosphere. Welcome to the “little tram of horror”, the animation set up for the first time by the Villeneuvois tourist office and which will delight young and old during these All Saints’ Day holidays. When boarding, travelers wonder what awaits them…

The children involved in this historic walk

The one who wears the costume of a bloodthirsty butcher is none other than Didier Larroque, the Raconteur de pays de Villeneuve. Knowledgeable about the history of the bastide, he selected a specific episode to plunge the tram passengers into horror. Facetious, he comes to tease the children, some of them disguised at the start of Halloween evening. Didier Larroque is now used to the exercise. The world is there – the tram can accommodate around forty people on each trip – and new rides have been put in place to allow as many people as possible to enjoy this historic and frightening ride.

Satanic laughter, nasal voice, the Country Raconteur enjoys entertaining the participants while teaching them things. Because the walk is interested in… the “skinners of the bastide”. Didier Larroque brings the procession back to 1570, recounting the actions of the Jacquet couple, “abominable people”. Artisan butchers from the left bank of the bastide who had the hobby of cutting up humans… Nothing less. The ideal story to thrill everyone. First stop near the Paris Tower. Everyone is on hand, especially to get the children to participate in the questionnaire. In his bag, in addition to some accessories to entertain the little ones, there is also a rope. Children are invited to take charge of the accessory, simulating the macabre march of the “flayers” then taken prisoner in the Paris Tower to Place Lafayette.

“A thought for those who quench their thirst on skeletons”

On foot, the joyful troop wanders with the long rope, like Ariadne’s thread. Passing through the alleyway of Paris, there they are on Place Lafayette where the executions previously took place. This time, adults are called upon to simulate a hanging. Didier Larroque slips in many anecdotes about the justice of yesteryear. The Jacquet couple, then tortured, were not entitled to a burial and ended up in a common grave. Return to the tram to get there, on the other side of the Lot. In front of the Sainte-Etienne church, the “butcher storyteller” enjoys reminding travelers that they are standing on an old cemetery. The children must go and search in the church gardens to find the bones of the Jacquet couple. A little race that ends with a distribution of candy.

Participants board the tram one last time to take a final tour of the bastide, left bank then right bank. Passing in front of the Sainte-Catherine church square, Didier Larroque reminds us that the emblematic building was built, again, on an old cemetery. The customers of the neighboring bars are greeted by the storyteller: “A thought for those who quench their thirst on the skeletons” he says in the middle of the street. Applauded at each session for its ability to entertain and educate, the Raconteur de pays succeeds in showcasing Villeneuvois heritage – knowing that in 2024, the bastide will celebrate the 760th anniversary of its birth. In the meantime, this special Halloween animation will have left its mark and will be expected to return. There is no doubt that the history of Villeneuve is full of… terrifying anecdotes!