Bad weather for fairground people in Ile-de-France. Arnaud Pericard, mayor of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, officially announced that the famous Fête des Loges will not take place. "I have not obtained any commitment and firm guarantees from the government allowing me to maintain the Fête des Loges this year," he wrote in a press release.
"Our city can not bear sole responsibility for the organization of such an event in such a sensitive context" justifies the mayor before addressing the points that are problematic: despite a health protocol developed with the fairgrounds, he believes that the city is not able to enforce it, as well as public security with the need to set up a reinforced system. He did not seem to have had the necessary guarantees from the prefecture to maintain an opening of this great popular festival.
Concerned fairgrounders and restaurateurs
Finally, there are the financial constraints: according to Arnaud Péricard, the cost of the organization is borne by the municipality and "the loss could reach 700,000 euros this year due to a reduced format over time as well as the number of fairground attendants present. The cost of the health crisis will amount to several million for the city, which cannot cope with new expenses ”.
Already hit hard by the cancellation of the Foire du Trône, which was to begin at the end of March in Paris (12th century), the owners of attractions and restaurateurs simply fear living a white year with the cancellation of the 368th edition of the Saint-Germain funfair.
"We are dying and we do not see the end of the tunnel, sums up one of the 130 professionals of the Fête des Loges. We have credits that we cannot pay. It can turn into a drama. ”