The municipal authorities of Binche and officials of the Association for the Defense of Folklore (ADF) decided on Monday to cancel the Carnival of Binche 2022 due to the health crisis.
“The Codeco has killed the Binche carnival,” said Laurent Devin, mayor of Binche, on Monday. “The measures taken within the framework of the last Codeco make it impossible to organize the carnival in 2022. We must take note of the decisions and suffer the consequences, as in other sectors.” Aid bonuses will be provided for trades that are impacted by the cancellation of the carnival.
“I will meet my colleagues from the Center region on Tuesday because we want to have a consistent attitude,” said the mayor of Binche. “We will discuss on Tuesday the holding of other carnivals in the region.”
The Bincho authorities, in agreement with the ADF and the carnival actors, had first set the date of January 17 to communicate on the holding or not of the event. The decision was finally postponed until January 24, to allow Binchois officials to analyze the situation in the light of the measures taken by the recent Codeco.
“Not a word for us during the last Codeco when we authorize a demonstration with more than 50,000 people”, regretted Didier Rombaux, president of the Binchoise ADF. “We had accepted the cancellation of our drum rehearsals. We had planned a new schedule of rehearsals and soumonces. The appearance of the Omicron variant has undermined all projects. We reserve the right to organize an event, as soon as the situation allows it, by involving all the carnival stakeholders. The date is not specified. There is no question of cutting the wire. We need to strengthen the ties that unite us.”
The Binche Carnival 2021 had already been canceled due to the health crisis.