Established in the summer of 2002 by Bertrand Delanoë, the mayor of Paris at the time, the Paris Plages event celebrates its 20th anniversary this week.
If it brightens up the summer for some in the capital, others have bad memories of it.
Readers of
20 Minutes
recount their worst and best moments on the banks of the Seine or in the La Villette basin.
“Great atmosphere”, “expensive and useless”, “magical”, and finally… “Not even in a dream!
Paris Plages is not unanimous.
Set up in 2002 by the former mayor of Paris Bertrand Delanoë, the event celebrates its 20th anniversary this summer on the sites of the Bassin de La Villette and the Parc Rives de Seine to give the impression of a holiday to those who do not leave the capital.
In twenty years, tons of sand have been dumped on the quays of the Seine, and thousands of visitors have basked there.
On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the event, readers of
20 Minutes
tell their experiences, good or bad.
Good memories of the first Paris-Plages
“And if this morning we were going to picnic at the edge of the beach?
It was quite naturally, as if Paris had always been by the sea, that one of our readers went to the very first Paris Plages.
One day in the summer of 2002, Harmel decides, on a whim, to surprise his mother.
“Come on, a small basket, a bottle of champagne, a box of foie gras, a baguette, crystal flutes, a small checkered napkin…” and head for the banks of the Seine.
An idyllic description, which almost corresponds to the idea of Cédric, one of the first organizers of the event.
He participated in the creation of the first five Paris Plages events.
An opportunity offered "to tourists and inhabitants of the Paris region, to share leisure" where he could "see young and old with smiles and memories in his head".
“What I saw there did not make me want to”
But, 20 years later, it becomes more difficult to find positive opinions on the event.
Hearing the words "Paris Plages", Parisians pout.
“One day, I passed there early in the morning, and what I saw there did not make me want to lie down on the sand”, says a reader, mentioning urine, dirt and bad smells.
“That was five years ago and I've never been there again,” he concludes.
Some did not even give the initiative a chance.
“I lived in Paris for 10 years and my best memory of Paris Plages is never having been there…”, mocks another.
The most constructive list their suggestions for improvement.
“It would have been healthier and more pleasant to offer a round trip by train each year, so that Parisians can access the Normandy beaches, suggests a surfer.
They could breathe the sea air and get out of the capital.
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This year, the event is open until August 21 to allow you to bask in the sand, swim in the La Villette basin... And make up your own mind about Paris-Plages.
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