Apr 4th, 2018, 03:37 PM

The Fair is in town!

By Moumi Camara
Image Credit: Unsplashed/John Jackson
The biggest fair in Europe, the Foire du Trone, open its doors Friday March 30, for it 1061st anniversary. The prestigious fair will be open until May 27th at the Pelouse de Reuilly in Paris.

The Foire du Trone, one of Europe's biggest and oldest fairs, opened its door on March 30, just in time for Easter. Previous known as the Gingerbread Fair, this historic fair has been around since 957, but it was not till 1805 that it was reborn as a small carnival. As the years went on the fair grew in size, spreading wider. In 1957, the fair celebrated its thousandth anniversary. Finally, in 1964 the fairgrounds was inaugurated and now opens for six weeks, welcoming about five million visitors per year.

Image Credit: Unsplashed/ Sebastien Davenport Danley 

Foire du Trone is located at the edge of Bois de Vincennes, also called the lawn Reuilly. Prior to 1962 the fairgrounds were located in the gardens of the Saint Antoine abbey. After the two world wars, the fair stood as a festival to bring citizens of diverse culture, background, and religion to one place, all with the same goal of having fun.

“The biggest advantage of the Foire du Trone is the diversity of race, and age as well. We are really diverse in all sense of the word,” said Morgan Jourbart,  a 37-year-old successful establishment manager for Aux Succes at Foire du Trones. Jourbert who comes from eight generations of showmen, is the grandson of Marcel Campion, France’s most popular showman.

Image Credit: Unplashed/ Ethan Hoover 

The entrance to the fair is free, but with the variety of food, drink, and attractions to choose from it could make a dent in your wallet. The large lawn surrounded by greenery has 350 attractions and 80 rides and rollercoasters. There are various trades that feed the fair, such as the manufacturers of the rides, stuffed animals or nougats, which 80 percent of works are from the city of Montelimar. The fair offer seasonal jobs to help many that are unemployed.

“I’m part of the fair, i’m a clown artist,” said Lebeau, who’s been working as a clown artist at Foire du Trone for over 25 years. Lebeau, among other artists, is someone who performs on the inauguration day.

Image Credit: Unsplashed/  Jason Chen 

This year, the fair has seen a few drastic changes due to the various incidents the previous years. The Foire du Trone will close rides and turn off sound at 11 p.m., instead of midnight like they had for previous years. This “curfew” will be maintain during the week and change exceptionally to midnight on school holidays and 1 a.m. on Saturdays and eves of public holidays. To keep the residents of Vincennes happy, the sounds of the rides will be controlled to a maximum of 75 dB or the sound level of a busy highway.

Despite these new demands brought on by the Paris City Council, it did not change the atmosphere of the fair. People of all ages still gathered to fill themselves up with churros, and scream as they get on their favorite and thrilling rides.

“I came in the past one time, and since it’s opening this is my second day here,” said Antoine, who works for the ministry of interior.

Image Credit: Unsplashed/ Daniel Von Appen 

 

Other Events:

- March 30, 2018: Opening

- April 1, 2018: Day tribute to Johnny Hallyday

- April 10, 2018: Bowling (proceeds will go to Solhand- Solidarite Handicap)

- April 22, 2018: Breton Day with the presence of Celtic groups

- May 6, 2018: the Portuguese community day in the presence of folkloric groups

- Sunday, May 20, 2018: Carnival

- Saturday, May 26, 2018: Traditional fireworks display at the Throne Fair

For more info: https://www.foiredutrone.com