the essential
The funfair has been in full swing for several days in Tarbes and, more than ever, the economic situation of households is weighing on this leisure activity which remains popular with families.
Place Marcadieu has taken on the appearance of Luna Park with the installation of traditional funfair rides. They are fewer in number but the faithful are there to enjoy the atmosphere of cotton candy and candy apples and other churros which are the spice of these popular festivals which, for several years, have also been hit hard by the economic crisis.
On site, Alexandre inflates his balloons, on the stand dedicated to the essential rifle shooting and confirms that fans of rides and related activities are fewer in number even if they are still just as motivated: “We feel that there is a drop in purchasing power among people. They still come but find it expensive. A situation suffered by the fairgrounds themselves who, like all professionals in the country, have seen costs soar and their margins decrease in recent years.
However, the diehards are ready to make sacrifices to see the eyes of their little ones shine and rediscover, too, a part of childhood.
“Almost a tradition in a family”
An enthusiasm shared by his colleagues on the children’s rides where the public is the most numerous: “The parents want to please the little ones like their parents do, they bring them here to have a good time, it’s almost a tradition in a family . A bit like us who are in charge.”
Next to it, the strollers park and the parents and grandparents sit on the benches provided to make them wait, an immutable ritual while the youngest try to grab a precious pompom which will give them the right to a final ride.
Nadège is one of them with her two toddlers eager to get into the helicopter or the boat: “Of course, it’s not cheap, but we’re not going to deprive the children that much, we just come less often. The tours also seem shorter to us, but what do you expect, it’s a hassle for everyone.”
A little further away, it was by chance that this couple stopped in Tarbes with their children and of course, the attraction of this buzzing and colorful space quickly caught the eye of these little experts: “All this pleases to the children, as to us when we were little”.
Further afield, the rare thrill rides for older children are also popular despite the substantial prices and it is more in the evening that the music roars and mixes with the cries of those who want to test their resistance to vertigo and fear: ” Teenagers especially are always very excited by this kind of attraction” explain the parents of the youngest who would also be tempted but, not being of the right age or height, are content to admire the shocks of these gear.
A funfair which therefore still attracts despite declining purchasing power and rising prices, but parents who do not want their children to be happy.
