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The legendary café race is back in Paris after a 13-year absence!

The legendary café race is back in Paris after a 13-year absence!

With the Olympic Games just a few months away, a rather original "sport" is making a comeback: the Paris Coffee Run. An unusual and free event not to be missed!

Ingrid Boinet

Ah, Paris! Its monuments, its bistros, its brasseries... and its waiters' races! After a thirteen-year absence, this competition has risen from the ashes, much to our delight. We tell you all about this historic event.

Reviving a century-old race

Among France's most unusual events, the coffee race holds pride of place! Disappeared thirteen years ago for lack of a partner, it's making a comeback on March 24, 2024, 110 years after its creation.

The objective is clear (but not so simple): to carry a coffee, a glass of water and a croissant on a tray, without spilling it, for 2 km around the Hôtel de Ville, without running. It's atestament to the balance and speed of Parisian waiters and waitresses!

The race is open to room service professionals, who have until March 20, 2024 to register. The 200 expected participants will all be wearing " white tops, black bottoms and aprons" provided by the organizers.

With four months to go before the Olympic Games, the event is a prelude to the summer festivities, but not the only one. The race will also serve to honor the city's renowned French-style service, as well as showcasing the capital's water and combating plastic pollution. With its 1,200 water fountains, including the famous Wallace fountains, and such talented waiters, Paris is unlikely to go thirsty!

  • Where to go? Place de l'Hôtel de Ville,Sunday March 24, 2024 at 10 a.m.
  • Free event

If you're not available on March 24, you should know that this race has become so popular that it has spread to every continent and is now held in over fifty countries, including the United States, Brazil, Germany and Japan. It can also be found in many cities throughout France.

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