It is one of the great must-haves of the summer which is making its reappearance on the outing program. Canceled, or rather “postponed”, last year for health reasons, the Fête des Loges, 368th of the name, will open its doors to fans of the rides on the evening of Friday July 2. An opening date later than usual, but which is explained, again by the repercussions of the Covid crisis. It is in fact not to be bound by the curfew, today set at 11 pm and which must end on June 30.
Arranged calendar and health protocol
The shift of a few days compared to the traditional calendar therefore makes it possible to return to the usual schedules, i.e. up to 2 hours on weekends. It also and above all saves the organizers a big headache, that of the gauges currently in force. “It would have taken a lot of things in place for just a week. It’s been a few days less but it was better, ”explains Aurélien Hector, the new chairman of the Fête des Loges committee.
However, a protocol is in place, with the wearing of a mask compulsory throughout the party, hydroalcoholic gel at the entrance and exit of attractions and disinfection of tokens or attractions between each round. “People need to feel confident,” he insists. It’s a responsible takeover ”.
A revival for fairgrounds
For the fairgrounds it represents, this Fête des Loges, although “necessarily a little different”, sounds like a real spring after an almost blank year. “Some have managed to get by by living on their cash. Others have a lot of credits and have had a difficult year, ”says Aurélien Hector, stressing“ the mutual aid that has been put in place ”in an environment where“ everyone knows each other ”.
The professionals of the funfair say they want “simply to find the life of before”, by following their course from city to city. This first meeting of the summer will already set the tone for this return to business. “Saint-Germain is my biggest event of the year,” notes even Aurélien Hector, who, like his colleagues, feared a time for the future of the party after the postponement of last year. “It had been difficult to accept. Today, with hindsight, we understand, he says. And that is also why we are very vigilant today ”.
Despite the slight upheaval in the calendar, the main traditional events of the Fête des Loges are on the agenda, such as the official inauguration of Saturday July 3, the coronation of the Queen of the Lodges on Monday 5, or the celebration of the Saint-Fiacre on Thursday 22, with its musical stroll and its mass organized on the autotamponneuses track.
From Friday July 2 to Saturday August 15. From 3 p.m. to 1.30 a.m. Monday to Thursday, from 3 p.m. to 2 a.m. on Fridays, from 2 p.m. to 2 a.m. on Saturdays and from 2 p.m. to 1.30 a.m. on Sundays and public holidays. Free entrance.
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