Martine Aubry breaks a ritual. For the first time since she has been mayor of Lille in 22 years, she will not participate in the famous Braderie which is held every first weekend of September.
The elected official is recovering after an operation held in the week, as explained by her first deputy quoted by La Voix du Nord. "Don't worry, she's fine. The mayor was operated on this week, for pain, but everything is fine. On the other hand, it cannot be physically present. She had to be in front of the cameras, she is finally behind her screen. She followed the preparations and now the smooth running."
Instead of the traditional crowd bath, a parade of elected officials still went around the city hall, exchanging with some stands, also reports the regional daily.
In 2022, Martine Aubry welcomed the reopening of the "biggest European second-hand event" and a "great popular festival" after two years of pandemics. One of Europe's largest flea markets with nearly 80 kilometres of stalls and some 2.5 million visitors of all nationalities, the Braderie opened on Saturday.