100-year-old French form of boules latest ‘hipster’ event

A international festival celebrating the noble French sport of pétanque takes place in Islington next month.

The Londonaise – a multi-national event featuring 128 teams – touches down at Barnard Park, off Copenhagen Street, Islington, for three days from June 5.

Pétanque is a form of boules, developed in about 1900, in which the goal is to throw hollow metal balls as close as possible to a small wooden ball called a cochonnet.

Alongside the game, “artisan” British and French food stalls will keep players and spectators well-noursihed at the what organisers say is fast becoming a “hipster” event.

The festival also aims to raise funds for its associated charity ‘The Mercury Phoenix Trust’ which was set up in memory of Freddie Mercury and helps raising awareness and funding charities globally in the fight against AIDS.