“It’s true that the kitsch side makes us laugh,” laughs Sonia, seated on the terrace of a bistro at the Lille Flandres station. On her phone, the young woman introduces her friends, freshly arrived from Dijon to the clearance salethe clip produced by the town hall. We discover a fake Dalida who dances languidly in the city center “Let me sell off”, a parody of the hit performed by the singer in the late 1970s “Let me dance”.
“It’s excellent, valid Victor, the Dijonnais. I really like this crazy atmosphere. We really need it. It is also for this spirit that I made the trip. And they are not the only ones to appreciate these fifty seconds of humor, produced entirely in-house. They blew up the counter of the city’s YouTube channel with nearly 80,000 views in ten days… when municipal videos rarely have more than a hundred viewers. All networks combined, the Lille back-to-school hit has exceeded one million views. The bistros and the inhabitants themselves are not left out to stir up the little wind of madness: “Every year with friends, we dress up on Saturday morning”, testifies John, student.
Perched challenges
“Our challenge is to find our disguises in the sale, we give ourselves an hour to find, and we meet at a specific place. There are more of us every year. People take pictures of us. It amuses us and it makes us laugh a lot. Besides, you will no doubt be able to spot us in the caterpillar! “Because the young man is determined, with his group of friends, to participate in the wacky challenge of beating the caterpillar world record, held since June 12 by Rouen.
“We believe in it thoroughly, he ignites. With 2.5 million people expected at the braderieLille can largely break the record of 3,940 attendees. We plan to round up as much as possible. The answer will be from 2 p.m. this Saturday on the Champ-de-Mars esplanade. A little further, in Vieux-Lille, a restaurant bar is organizing a potato peeling competition. If you are not registered, the show is guaranteed by the fans who announce an atmosphere worthy of a World Cup. These potatoes will of course then be used to accompany the essential mussels.
In the neighborhood, another sign offers the election of Miss and Mister Moule 2023. The occasion for parades with hilarious disguises. Finally, so that everyone has a smile, and for the first time, 2,800 posters of the now famous communication campaign for the 2023 clearance sale were donated to Secours populaire so that it could sell them for its benefit. All of them – there are six of them – humorously play hits that affect all generations. From Plastic Bertrand to Gims via Johnny Hallyday. A laughing memory that could become a collector’s item… Many enthusiasts are already showing up.