Binche Carnival

Before it is light on Shrove Tuesday, drums start in Binche. Men and boys in padded red, black and yellow suits, with wax masks and wooden shoes, dance through the dark streets, striking the ground with bundles of sticks, which is meant to drive away evil spirits. These are the Gilles, the characters at the heart of the carnival.

There can be up to a thousand of them, from small children to men in their sixties, and they are usually male. In the afternoon they put on the giant ostrich-feather hats, which can cost a lot to rent, and march through town with baskets of oranges. The oranges are thrown into the crowd as a gift. A catch is considered lucky, and throwing one back at a Gilles is an insult. The throwing has caused damage in the past, and some residents cover their windows. Gilles are first mentioned in writing in 1795, and the carnival was named a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2003, a status that was later carried into the Representative List.

The carnival lasts three days: the Sunday, Monday and Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. That makes it Easter-linked, and the dates move every year. In 2027 the organisers give 7, 8 and 9 February. The Sunday has street performances, with many residents in costume, and the Tuesday is the day the world knows.

How to go: Binche is a small town in Hainaut, in the south of Belgium, and Brussels is the nearest big base, covered in our five-day Brussels guide. Arrive early on the Tuesday, and expect orange peel underfoot.