For an authentic taste of grass-roots Lille, head to the ethnically mixed, family-friendly quartier populaire (working-class quarter) of Wazemmes, 1.7km southwest of place du Général de Gaulle, where African immigrants and old-time proletarians live harmoniously alongside penurious students and trendy bobos (bourgeois bohemians).
The neighbourhood's focal point is the cavernous Marché de Wazemmes , Lille's favourite food market. The adjacent outdoor market is the place to be on Sunday morning – it's a real carnival scene! Rue des Sarrazins and rue Jules Guesde are lined with shops, restaurants and Tunisian pastry places, many owned by, and catering to, the area's North African residents.
Wazemmes is famed for its many outdoor concerts and street festivals, including La Louche d'Or (Golden Ladle; 1 May), a soup festival that has spread to cities across Europe.
