The Carnival of Binche

Binche's carnival was among the very first traditions UNESCO recognised as intangible cultural heritage, and it is unlike the parade carnivals of southern Europe. Its central figures are the Gilles, several hundred local men who may only take the role if they were born in Binche or have lived there long enough, and who appear on Shrove Tuesday in stuffed linen suits printed with heraldic lions, wooden clogs, bells at the waist and identical wax masks with green spectacles and moustaches. They dance from early morning to a relentless drum and viola rhythm, and in the afternoon they exchange the mask for enormous headdresses of white ostrich plumes and process through the town throwing blood oranges into the crowd, which is a mark of favour rather than an attack, though it does not always feel like it. Photographing a Gille outside Binche is considered wrong.

What you actually see

• The Gilles - the masked dancers in stuffed suits and clogs from early morning.
• The ostrich plume headdresses - worn for the afternoon procession.
• The orange throwing - blood oranges tossed into the crowd as a blessing.
• The drums - the relentless rhythm the Gilles dance to all day.

When to go

Shrove Tuesday only, the day before Ash Wednesday, so in February or March depending on the year; the preceding Sunday and Monday have their own events. Arrive very early, as the Gilles start before dawn and the town is full by mid-morning. Trains from Brussels run frequently.

Honest expectations

Oranges are thrown hard and they hurt; do not throw them back, which causes genuine offence, and stay clear of the front rows if you would rather not be hit. The town is packed and there is very little in the way of facilities for the numbers. It happens on one specific day a year and nothing of it can be seen otherwise. Filming Gilles who are not in Binche, or photographing them unmasked, is considered disrespectful.

Nearby

Mons is nearby, and the Canal du Centre boat lifts, a World Heritage site, are close.