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Published on September 1, 2020
From August 14 to 23, the City of Tournai rediscovered the magic of events. With two 30-minute sessions each evening, the “Tournai d’été” show brought the history and folklore of Tournai back to life in the heart of the Town Hall Park. In compliance with sanitary measures and social distancing, the 200 spectators were able to enjoy this phantasmagorical show in ‘bubbles’ of 200, featuring around fifty actors and directed by Luc Petit, a native of the locality.

“Since there had been no carnival, procession, or parade, I suggested to the City to organize a show bringing together the highlights of Tournai’s folklore and showcasing the city’s heritage. The goal was also to revitalize the sector and the events industry by organizing a major post-lockdown event. As a native of Tournai, I thought that if I couldn’t make it happen here in this city, it would be difficult to do so elsewhere, or at least it would be very challenging,” affirms Luc Petit.

The financial issue
“The City was concerned about a crowd gathering, which did not happen at all. Playing for ten days effectively allowed for the crowd to be dispersed. People understood this very well and respected the Covid measures, so there were no problems or overflow. Besides these measures, the real issue was financial. Having a maximum of 200 people on such a large space where social distancing must be respected is not profitable. The City therefore agreed to finance the event, which I, for my part, proposed to carry out for free to help revive the sector.”

An example to relaunch events
“‘Tournai d’été’ also reflects a willingness to hold such an event. For the mayor, the decision was not easy, as everyone was canceling everything, but he dared to take the risk. A strong and important gesture because if we are not allowed to try things out, to see how it goes or how the public reacts, we will always encounter a ‘no, it’s not possible.’ Without being able to experiment with this kind of thing, our profession is at risk of remaining at a standstill for a long time. We need to showcase examples like this so that other mayors or cities can say, ‘if it could be done in Tournai, why not here?'”
A hesitant audience
“As for the audience’s reaction, even though they were eager, I noticed that people were quite scared at first. They rediscovered a show. During the first two days, the spectators even had to get used to applauding again. Indeed, they didn’t even know if they were still allowed to applaud or not. It’s quite surprising. Afterwards, we included in the show some little phrases to tell them, ‘you know, you can still move from your chair, you don’t have to stay like statues.’ That, and the guaranteed social distancing, reassured them.”
See you in Beloeil
Having learned from this event – the main lesson being that, to keep events of this scale alive, public authorities will have to intervene financially since it is not feasible at all for private producers – Luc Petit invites you to Beloeil for Christmas. “We will occupy the Beloeil castle for 15 days. I have indeed proposed to organize a more wandering version of the Christmas Fairytales. In the form of a walk-show where the public will not remain seated or static. I am currently also working on the tour of the Christmas Cathedrals. If we are limited to 50 or 100 people maximum per session, it will not be financially possible. I am also in discussions for private events, but in the horizon of 2022, as everything is still strongly at a standstill in the private sector and the restart may take time, I fear,” concludes Luc Petit.