Carnival of Binche, Belgium

Background

The earliest written records of the Carnival of Binche date back to 1394, and the masked Gilles first appear in texts in 1795. In 2003 UNESCO proclaimed it a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity, and in 2008 it was inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The carnival is held on the Sunday, Monday and Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, and the Gilles appear mainly on Tuesday: early in the morning they gather on the Grand-Place in wax masks and dance to the drums; in the great afternoon procession, more than a thousand Gilles in tall white ostrich-feather hats take oranges from their baskets and throw them to the watching crowds. There are fireworks on the Grand-Place on both Monday and Tuesday nights. The town's International Carnival and Mask Museum displays carnival costumes and masks from Binche and around the world all year round.

Local customs

• Watch the masked Gilles gather and dance on the Grand-Place early on Tuesday morning
• see the great Gilles procession in the afternoon and catch the oranges thrown to the crowd
• watch the fireworks on the Grand-Place at night
• visit the International Carnival and Mask Museum.

Travel tips

• The Carnival of Binche is held from the Sunday to the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, so its dates move each year with Easter
• the detailed programme and times are subject to local announcement. Binche is in the province of Hainaut and can be reached by train
• the old town is crowded during the carnival, so arrive early and walk to the area around the Grand-Place.

2027 schedule

• In 2027 Easter falls on 28 March and Ash Wednesday on 10 February, so by custom the carnival runs from 7 to 9 February, with Tuesday as the day of the great Gilles procession
• the detailed programme is yet to be announced locally.