More than 4,000 people gathered today at Champs Elysees for a giant free picnic organized by a committee of local merchants and businesses fighting to stop the slow decline of the boulevard long known as “the most beautiful boulevard in the world”.

As the Guardian writes The once favorite hangout of Parisians, the Champs Elysees has been steadily abandoned by the locals in recent years, as popular shops and cinemas have given way to luxury boutiques and the boulevard has become the property of wealthy tourists.

“It’s a way of saying to Parisians, ‘Come back to the Champs-Élysées,’ to show them that the boulevard is not just for high-end shopping,” said Marc-Antoine Jamet, head of the 180-member Champs-Élysée committee. who organized the event.

About 273,000 people applied to take part in ‘le grand pique-nique’, with 4,400 chosen to sit with up to six guests each on a 216m red and white checkered picnic blanket, described by organizers as ‘the world’s largest tablecloth’ .

AP Photo

Eight partner restaurants – including the iconic brasserie Fouquet’s, for decades a haunt of French film and music stars – provided meals ranging from ham baguettes to salads and macarons.

“Thousands of people picnic on one of the most famous boulevards in the world, overlooking the Arc de Triomphe – this is a true popular and gourmet celebration,” said the event’s guest of honor, former Elysees chef Guillaume Gomez.

picnic

AP Photo

The commission has repeatedly warned that the iconic boulevard has “lost its grandeur” over the past 30 years, falling victim to changing consumer habits as well as crises, including the yellow vest protests and the pandemic.

Last year he turned the Champs-Élysées into an open-air festival with 1,800 tables spread across it, in another exercise aimed at re-enchanting Parisians with the boulevard, the backdrop for countless films.

As the entertainment venues and book, record and clothing stores have disappeared, they have been steadily replaced by high-end and high-end sporting goods stores, for which an address on the boulevard retains significant appeal – especially for tourists.

French luxury group LVMH – owners of Louis Vuitton and Dior – paid more than €1 billion for its main store on the Champs-Elysees, according to real estate agents, with surveys showing up to a quarter of all visits to the boulevard. dedicated to luxury shopping.