The Allumoirs festival

Autumn Celebration

This old Walloon custom, which is still very much alive, celebrates autumn and the return of the long evenings. Children in the neighbourhoods eagerly await this event. In the half-light of the falling night, equipped with their pumpkin or paper lanterns, they march in procession, letting their joy burst forth and receiving sweets.

As the walking route from one district to another that was used last year was clearly not a satisfactory formula, the traditional looped route within each district will be used again for the "Fête des allumoirs", scheduled for Saturday 2 October 2021 at 6.30 p.m., to tell the approaching winter that we are not even afraid of it.

Announce the month of October in Wattrelos and you will trigger a wave of lanterns: find the tradition of the matchmakers in the different districts of the city this Saturday, October 3, 2020 from 6:30 pm.

Here are the different meeting places:

  • Touquet St-Gérard - Résidence du Touquet, rue du Mont à Leux
  • Sapin Vert - Complexe Jean Zay, rue Alfred Delecourt
  • Martinoire - Maison pour Tous, 88 rue Lamartine
  • Laboureur - Place de la République
  • Beaulieu - Centre Social de l'Avenir, rue Léon Blum
  • Cinq quartiers - Salle Georges Ramon, rue de la Martelotte

The processions will be accompanied by music companies and sweets will be distributed to the children at the end of the different routes.

Let us remind you that the children remain under the responsibility of their parents or guardians, and that by decree of the mayor, the throwing of firecrackers is forbidden on the public highway!