“Everyone gets involved”: at the Lazaret holiday center, Escale à Sète improvises its canteen

Au centre de vacances du Lazaret, ce mardi midi, où les musiciens prenaient leur déjeuner. Midi Libre – Alexis BETHUNE

Forcé, ce mardi, d'annuler la première journée des festivités et de fermer sa cantine sur les quais, le festival Escale à Sète a reconverti en urgence le centre de vacances du Lazaret en une immense salle à manger. 

Face bad luck with all your heart. At the Lazaret holiday center in Sète, we tried to keep smiling this Tuesday noon after the cancellation of this first day of the maritime traditions festival. The place, which accommodates around 320 people from all the delegations, was transformed into a huge dining room. "As the port canteen was inaccessible due to bad weather, we had to take care of all the meals from here", testifies Maryse Sabatier, who has been in charge of the event's accommodation center since 2016.

Petits fours for lunch

"The caterer brought us everything for lunch, continues the manager. Given that the evenings are cancelled, it would have been a shame to waste this food." As a result, all the musicians and exhibitors hosted at the Lazaret were served petit fours at lunch. In this funny improvised cocktail, there are only two Stopovers in Sète taking care of the 320 guests. "Fortunately, the Lazaret is playing the game to the fullest, everyone is doing their best to make it go well ", declares Maryse Sabatier.

Between the three rooms made available in an emergency by the holiday center, the ballet of staff struggling with meal trays in hand continues. "Everyone gets involved, even the exhibitors and the musicians: that's also the atmosphere of Stopover in Sète ." Over the years of the event, Maryse Sabatier has been able to create strong links with the different groups that make up the delegations: "We've known each other for a long time, there are no problems between us."

Take advantage of the afternoon to rehearse

Sitting around a batch of mini-sandwiches, a cup of red wine at the end of the table, the ten members of the music group Le Bagad from the country of&rsquo ;Aix is ​​happy to have given a helping hand. "This is the fourth time we have come and we have always been very well received. The volunteers are extraordinary, it’s normal to lend them a helping hand in these complicated times", they assure.

Their afternoon, they will spend rehearsing and talking with the other musicians. "We're going to party among ourselves, it's going to be a great moment of sharing", they say in unison. Despite the unpredictable weather and the cancellation of this inaugural day, nothing seemed to dampen the enthusiasm of the participants this Monday noon.

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