Parisian carnival caught between feathers and flames

The fate of an annual celebration of Caribbean and tropical culture that parades down the Champs-Elysées in Paris was hanging in the balance today less than 24 hours before the event is due to start.

The Carnaval Tropical de Paris has taken place on the first Sunday in July since 2001. After a Covid-induced suspension in 2020, there was great rejoicing when it returned to the streets in 2021.

From 1pm to 6pm on Sunday 2 July some 200,000 spectators are expected to line the Avenue des Champs-Elysées between the Arc de Triomphe and Place de la Concorde, watching 4,000 masqueraders and musicians. Most of the 34 groups listed are based in and around the French capital but some come from other regions of France and one hails from Rotterdam in the Netherlands.

They will be representing the colours and cultures of the French Caribbean territories of St-Martin/Sint Maarten, Saint Barthélemy, Guadeloupe, Martinique and Guyane along with Réunion in the Indian Ocean. Music is a mix of Antillean sounds and samba.

The theme this year is ‘Colours of the World’. However, the prevailing colours in Paris are very dark at present following the shooting by a police officer of 17-year-old Nahel Mazouk after the underage driver refused to obey an order to stop. His death on 27 June has triggered a prolonged orgy of rioting, violence and arson across France, leaving town halls, schools, cars and buses burnt out and shops and offices ransacked and looted.

In response to serious fears over public safety, many events have already been cancelled, including Marseille’s Pride march, a concert by Mylène Farmer and President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Germany.

By contrast, at 10pm on 30 June, Teddy Lacroix, president of the Fédération du Carnaval Tropical de Paris (FCTP), issued a statement saying:

The Fédération du Carnaval Tropical de Paris, aware of your questions, would like to confirm that the parade on 2 July on the Champs Elysées is maintained. However, in regular contact with the competent authorities, we will not fail to notify you of any changes.

Commentators on FCTP’s Facebook page had mixed feelings. Tara Laure wrote: “I adore the carnival, but really you ought to postpone it. It’s too dangerous.” Sandra Vaucheret was more upbeat: “Everything will be alright. You have to stay positive.” Others pointed out that many participants and spectators were already on their way to the event from other parts of France. Fdx Amandine felt that the rioters were only interested in looting stores and would not disrupt a carnival, prompting Willou James to suggest that carnival would end at the bonfire – “tomorrow there might be a big mess at the Champs-Elysées”.

Regardless of the preparations already made and the opinions of the organiser and carnival-goers, the overstretched and exhausted Parisian police may decide to pull the plug on the grounds that they have more pressing work than keeping an eye on Antillean feathers and beads. If so, the disappointment will be acute for the carnivalists and their supporters.