Paris 2024 Olympics: where and at what time to see the flame in the North and in Lille, the route of July 2

After the Marne, the Olympic flame will head to Hauts-de-France. This Tuesday, July 2, the North and its prefecture Lille will host the 46th stage. There will be 112 people carrying the flame during the day.

It will start in Avesnes-sur-Helpe, a small town of 4,200 inhabitants, with a departure at 8:25 a.m. from the community of communes in the heart of Avesnois. The flame will pass in front of the town hall and then the collegiate church of Saint-Nicolas, a church dating from the 12th century, to arrive at the Place de la Rotonde at 8:45 a.m.

Then, direction Dunkirk for a big stage from 9:15 to 10:17. The start will be from the Place du Centenaire, then the flame will cross the Lucien Lefol and Bataille du Texel bridges, then pass in front of the Naval and Commercial basins. It will end its Dunkirk journey at the Place Jean Bart, the Belfry and the Saint-Éloi Church and finally the Belfry of the town hall. In 2005, the Belfry of the town hall of Dunkirk was admitted to UNESCO’s world heritage list among the Belfries of Belgium and France.

Then the flame will head towards Wallers to follow part of the Paris-Roubaix cycling route, starting from the famous Trouée d’Arenberg at 10:55 a.m. and arriving at the Arenberg la Porte du Hainaut mining site at 11:20 a.m. It will then stop in Cambrai from 11:36 a.m. to 11:56 a.m. The flame will start from Place du Saint-Sepulcre in front of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce Cathedral, then the flame will pass through Place Aristide-Briand and the Town Hall. It will finish at the Paul Duez College.

The route continues between Tourcoing (departure at 2:10 p.m.) and Roubaix (arrival at 2:30 p.m.). The flame will leave from the Saint-Christophe church, Place de la République. Then, it will pass in front of the Tourcoing and Roubaix train stations, the École supérieure des arts et industries textiles, and the Roubaix town hall. The finish will take place at the André-Pétrieux velodrome, also called the Roubaix velodrome. It serves as the finish line for the legendary Paris-Roubaix every year.

The flame will then be in Douai. It will leave at 4:56 p.m. from the Étienne Maillard sports hall, that of the Douai fencing circle, then pass by the Pont de la Massue, the Belfry of Douai, a symbolic monument of the city, the Collegiate Church of Saint-Pierre to arrive at 5:36 p.m. at the Place d’Armes, the central square of Douai, the heart of the city of Gayant.

The day of the flame will end in apotheosis with a crossing of Lille from 6:19 p.m. The route will take in the European metropolis of Lille, the Hôtel du Département du Nord, the Lille Europe and Lille Flandres train stations, Place François-Mitterrand, the Opera, the Grand-Place, the historic and main square of the city, a must-see place for the people of Lille, ending at the Esplanade du Champs de Mars. This is where the lighting of the cauldron will take place at 7:30 p.m.

In the city center, the torchbearers of the collective relay of the French Handball Federation will carry the flame. A symbolic choice since Lille will host the final stages of the discipline. The captain of this collective relay will be Benjamin Brun, wheelchair handball player and coach. Entertainment is planned from 3:30 p.m. on the Esplanade du Champs de Mars.