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COMPETITORS COMPLETED A TWO-KILOMETRE TRACK HOLDING FULL TRAYS OF DRINKS AND FOOD Paris held its traditional ‘waiter’s race’ over the weekend for the first time in 13 years, with 300 servers

tackling a racing track with a full tray of classic café orders in hand. The _course des café_ sees waiters and waitresses – both professionals and those in training – from across France

race around a two kilometre track in the centre of Paris. The competitors must carry a tray with a coffee, a glass of water, and croissant on it, and must reach the finish line whilst

spilling as little as possible. They can walk briskly, but are not allowed to run. The first race was held in 1914, and it was originally called the ‘_course des Garçons_’ (a traditional

name for a waiter, although one that should not be used today). Other countries quickly copied, however it stopped being held in Paris after 2013 due to a lack of organisation and sponsors.

Eau de Paris, the municipal water service, hosted this weekend’s race, which thousands of spectators came to watch. It sponsored the event to showcase a ‘French tradition’ in the run-up to

the Olympic and Paralympic games, which will be held in the city this summer. READ MORE: CHEAP AND CHEERFUL FRENCH RESTAURANTS ARE BACK IN FASHION ‘A REAL PART OF PARISIAN LIFE’ Mayor of

Paris Anne Hidalgo kicked off the race, which began outside the town hall before tracing the intricate streets of the central Marais district. “It's a celebration of the history of

Paris, both traditional and modern. The bistro in Paris is an art of living. It's a place where you live, work, study, meet people, fall in love, argue,” she said. "The bistro is a

real part of Parisian life. I'm delighted that the whole world can see our desire to put it back on the map," she added. READ MORE: CAN UNESCO SAVE FRANCE’S COLLAPSING CAFE

CULTURE? The winner of the men’s race, Samy, works at La Contrescarpe in the 5th arrondissement of the capital. “It's more for laughs than anything else… but I won, and I’m happy,” he

said to _BFMTV_. He won in 13 minutes and 30 seconds. “It's a good atmosphere, it brings people together around our profession… We do this for 10-12 hours, we have the stamina, we know

how to hold our own,” said Sophie, a female competitor. You can see some photos and videos of the event below: > « C’est dur pour les mollets ! » : après 13 ans d’absence, la > course 

des garçons de café a fait son retour à Paris > ➡️ https://t.co/1A1riIwX4O pic.twitter.com/hQSrYDiVyL > — Le Parisien | Paris (@LeParisien_75) March 24, 2024 > Paris : Samy Lamrous 

remporte la course des garçons de café avec > sa « remontada à la parisienne » https://t.co/bpa2eKSv9S > pic.twitter.com/cWUq27Xi06 > — 20minutes Paris/IDF (@20minutesparis) March 

24, 2024 > Paris : Samy Lamrous remporte la course des garçons de café avec > sa « remontada à la parisienne » https://t.co/bpa2eKSv9S > pic.twitter.com/cWUq27Xi06 > — 20minutes 

Paris/IDF (@20minutesparis) March 24, 2024 > ☕️ La mythique Course des Cafés a fait sont grand retour ce > dimanche à Paris Centre ! >  > Objectif : établir le meilleur temps en 

gardant son plateau sans > rien renverser. >  > Bravo à tous les participants, parmi lesquels @ArielWeilT, > @PierreRabadan et @Bonnet_Oulaldj ! 👏 pic.twitter.com/TWglfvYMqY >

 — Mairie de Paris Centre (@MParisCentre) March 24, 2024 RELATED ARTICLES FIND PARIS’S SECRET VILLAGE HIDDEN IN THE BUSTLING MARAIS DISTRICT TREND FOR SIMPLE TRADITIONAL RESTAURANTS

CONTINUES IN NORTH FRANCE