Since the start of the 2022 school year, students in schools in the Wallonia-Brussels Federation have seen their school calendar changed. From now on, the summer holidays start later, on July 8th. Thus, the municipalities of Seneffe and Roeulx have decided to postpone their carnival for a week, to stick to the start of the holidays.
Problem, this postponement does not only make people happy. This is the case with fairgrounds. “It is a decision that was taken unilaterally in the two municipalities. For Le Roeulx, we learned the news from the press. We are angry, because it upsets our calendar which is very precise. Beginning of July, other fairs are held on the usual dates, in Binche or Namur. Which will be up to the fairgrounds to choose between Seneffe, Le Rœulx or a fair scheduled for these dates. And therefore to renounce obligatorily oncee and income”, explains Anthony Mastrovalerio, Walloon president of the Union des Industriels Forains Belges.
For the showmen, it is a new blow after difficult years marked by the Covid-19 and the economic crisis. “We are one of the oldest folklore in the world, and we are never taken into consideration. We just want to work and keep our dates“, he adds.