Dunkerque gone wild!
 

I already made a little report about the carnival in Dunkerque last year, but I knew I had to return to see the main event, which occurs on the Sunday before Mardi Gras. However, I would like to mention to anybody who is in France around that time and would like to see this kind of event, that each town has its own various carnival days, and they have little relation to the religious calendar now. Some of the events begin a month before Mardi Gras, and other carnival events continue 2 or 3 weeks afterwards, usually so that each town's carnival is not on a date that conflicts with neighboring towns. No Lenten austerity! You can find lots of information about the whens and wheres on the tourism sites for the Nord-Pas de Calais region.

Even though I drove there, there are direct TGVs from Paris and this sort of thing could easily just be a day trip for anybody wanting to go off the beaten track. The principal madness can be seen any time after lunch until the herring tossing around 17:00. The herrings are now sealed in plastic, I should point out, so there is no danger of getting a fishy mess on your hair or clothes.

On the "Big Sunday," everything is already cranked up to the max starting in the morning. I arrived around 9:30 and the streets were already full of costumed revelers, many of whom had been drinking more than coffee. The entire large central area was closed to traffic, and all parked cars had been removed. Many of the cafés and restaurants just set up temporary bars in front of their doors -- all drinks are 2€.

There are dozens of drummers and other musicians wandering around, playing all of the traditional carnival songs, which everybody knows by heart if they are from the area. It is really quite impressive.

But since pictures are worth far more than words, here is a glimpse of what I saw: http://tinyurl.com/wildindunkerque

thanks again for more interesting events!

I don't think I've ever seen anything like this. So much color, such fantastic hats, so much thought put into the makeup and costumes (and that's just the men). Everyone is really into it.
But I'm not surprised at the young man who was overwhelmed.

I hope the Ganesha organizers were there getting ideas. Their color palette seems a little subdued by comparison.

You're such a good storyteller and photographer. Thanks, kerouac.

I don't like clowns in general but people dressed up and having a ton of fun are okay. If there was a plaza filled with clowns I'd be two counties over. Shiver.

I didn't know there were Subway stores in France. Are they as awful as they are here? I refuse to eat there. There's a certain smell about them that gives me the creeps.

There are 240 Subway locations in France, according to their website. I think I counted 67 in Paris. It is now the #1 chain in the world, as their press release has not failed to point out (even if McDonald's still sells more stuff).

Fabulous story/pictures.

Where is this town?
I was going to ask, what were you wearing, until I read the last post by you on the blog!
Where in the world did they get those fabulous colored wigs?

Ok, I've just answered my first question, could it really be a day trip, how long of a train ride.

The train ride is a little more than 2 hours from Paris.

Last year, I was there on a Saturday, and there was a big street market almost entirely devoted to carnival gear. If ever you need striped pink fluorescent tights or a bright green wig, it is definitely the place to go.

OMG, I'm a hairdresser.... I need it all!!!!

Thanks for sharing another wonderful outing.

What fun! Thanks for posting. Having lived in New Orleans for awhile, I always appreciate seeing what other towns/cities do for Carnival.

Really must do that some day. Is it cold? Winter cold?

It could be. But this time it wasn't -- no guarantees!