Cry like a seagull in Dunkirk carnival
Seagull cry contest is part of various festivities during the Dunkirk carnival.
DUNKIRK (Reuters) - Seagull cry contestants faced off each other in Dunkirk on Sunday (February 23), to perform the best imitation of the bird’s distinctive shriek, a popular event in France’s oldest carnival.
Fifteen contestants from around France and Belgium walked on stage, held a banana microphone and performed shrill cries at the competition’s eighth edition.
Dunkirk local Violette Roussel, 21, snagged first place and was awarded the Shield of the Seagull, the contest’s trophy.
"People supported me a great, great deal," Roussel said. "I wasn’t alone in my fight and I succeeded and I won."
In costume, carnival-goers danced, sang and drank beer, with some giving each other kisses on the lips, a carnival custom.
The whimsical seagull cry contest is part of various festivities during the Dunkirk carnival, which takes place yearly on Mardi Gras.
Thousands are expected to gather in downtown Dunkirk later on Sunday afternoon as local officials throw herring from the town hall balcony towards the raging crowd, a carnival tradition.
