The most important parades Picardy

A real popular festival at Cayeux-sur-Mer in the bay of the Somme. Adorned with a multitude of gladioli (nearly 9,000!) and multicoloured dahlias, the town becomes an even more lively place for a day. On the programme: parade of floats decorated with flowers by the associations, competition for the most beautiful float, musical entertainment in the afternoon at the city's kiosk and open-air disco in the evening on Boulevard du Général Sizaire, with a splendid fireworks display as a final bouquet. Every year, the public is present in large numbers in the streets of the city.

It is the event that attracts far beyond the region. Indeed, in the evening before May 1, approximately 25,000 spectators attend the concert, which brings together national poster heads. Since 2014, a partnership with NRJ radio has been instrumental in bringing the artists whose teens enjoy (with recent years: Amir, Louane, Kendji Girac and M Pokora…). The next day, the atmosphere is much more family, we come to the parade animated by dancers and artists of all kinds. The Queen of Muguet (which is the equivalent of Miss Compiègne) rides on a beautiful flowered cap and welcomes thousands of spectators. For the small story, a Muguet Queen has already become famous since Elodie Gossuin was then elected Miss France in 2000, before winning the Miss Europe contest. Today, radio announcer, she still lives in Compiegnois.

This great event attracts a lot of visitors every year. You can appreciate parades of military vehicles, the presentation of these machines, an exchange market during the 3 days and animations in the evening under the big top (ball, concert). Catering, refreshment bar and baptism in period vehicles. Finally, commemorative convoys of the liberation of Pas-de-Calais, and a big parade with music in the Park of Lampisterie in Haillicourt close this beautiful event.

The Giant is a giant construction - originally made of wicker - representing a character, but above all it is an emblematic figure of Northern France! The Giants of the North appeared when the region was part of the Spanish Netherlands. They were paraded during religious processions, but today, there are all kinds of Giants of the North, each with their own name and history, and many cities in the North and in Belgium have them. If you want to have a closer look at this tradition, the Forum des Géants du Nord (which replaces the Giant Weekend) in Tourcoing is ideal because it will allow you to see dozens of giants in all their splendor.