Calendar / Carnival of Binche
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Witness / Attend in Binche
Carnival of Binche
Feb 7–9, 2027ConfirmedCarnival of Binche 2027
Organized by Ville de Binche, which publishes the official dates and program.
Dates & details verified against: Official city source ↗
Why go
The Carnival of Binche is the most famous carnival in Belgium and one of the oldest surviving street festivals in Europe, staged in this small Hainaut town on the three days before Ash Wednesday. UNESCO listed it in 2003 as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. The whole spectacle builds to Shrove Tuesday, when up to a thousand Gilles, local men dressed in stuffed linen suits painted with lions and crowns, appear at dawn in identical wax masks, dance through the streets to the beat of drums and violas in their wooden clogs, and in the afternoon parade to the Grand-Place tossing blood oranges to the crowd. It is a closed folk ritual rather than a show put on for tourists: you can only become a Gille if you are a man from Binche, the costumes never leave the town, and the oranges may not be bought or resold. Standing in the square as the Gilles advance behind their giant ostrich-plume hats is one of the great living-heritage experiences in Europe.
When it runs
Held every year on the Sunday, Monday and Shrove Tuesday before Ash Wednesday in Binche, so the dates move with Easter; the masked Gilles appear mainly on the Tuesday. Upcoming: 15 to 17 February 2026 and 7 to 9 February 2027, both confirmed by the town's official carnival site.
- Feb 7–9, 2027ConfirmedCarnival of Binche 2027
- Ran Feb 15–17, 2026Carnival of Binche 2026
Dates read confirmed where the organizer has published them, and expected where we've projected the recurrence. Always verify with the organizer before booking.
What to expect
The carnival always falls on the Sunday, Monday and Shrove Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, so the dates move each year with Easter. In 2026 it runs 15 to 17 February and in 2027 from 7 to 9 February. The Gilles appear mainly on the Tuesday, from around 4am through the afternoon rondeau on the Grand-Place. February in Hainaut is cold and often wet, so dress warmly. The oranges are thrown hard, so watch the parade rather than trying to catch them at close range.
Getting there & around
Binche has its own railway station about an hour from Brussels with a change at La Louviere, and sits roughly 20km east of Mons. The whole carnival takes place in and around the Grand-Place, easily walked from the station. On Shrove Tuesday the centre closes to traffic and fills early, so come well before the afternoon parade, and note that hotel rooms in Binche and nearby Mons book up months ahead for carnival week.
Where it happens
Binche, Belgium.
Want to go? The full Binche guide: conditions, logistics, providers →