Shrove Tuesday 2027 falls on 9 February. If you run a stall at a Walloon carnival, one rule concerns you directly: the decree of 9 March 2023 targets « folklore » events — the word is in the text — and has banned single-use plastic cups for drinks since 1 September 2023. Binche, Malmedy, Stavelot, La Louvière: all covered, and the text names the traders in the area, not just the organiser.
What the rule actually changes
Carnival is the clearest case the decree applies to: a folklore event, outdoors, with drink consumption far above average. Three practical consequences.
| Item | Before | Since 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| Beer, lager, drinks | Single-use plastic cup | Reusable compulsory — this is the item that changes |
| Chips, snacks, food | Cardboard cone and tray | Unchanged: the decree covers drinking cups, not food |
| Straws | Single-use plastic | Banned EU-wide since 2021; card or reusable |
So your list changes on one item only — but it is the one that turns over fastest on a carnival day. The rest of the kit stays identical to a standard chip shop.
What a stall actually gets through
Catalogue prices as of 14 October 2026, per unit.
| Item | Reference | Pack size | Unit cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beer, 33 cl | FRI-C51 — reusable cup | 500 pieces — €98.00 | €0.196 |
| Soft drinks, 30 cl | FRI-C55 — reusable cup ECO PP | 300 pieces — €52.38 | €0.175 |
| Small chips | FRI-C24 — cone TIP 1 | 1000 pieces — €25.99 | €0.026 |
| Large chips | FRI-C25 — cone TIP 2 | 1000 pieces — €26.16 | €0.026 |
| Sauce, side | FRI-C28 — clear PP tray | 1000 pieces — €40.56 | €0.041 |
| Burger, mitraillette | GLD-800 — kraft box | 400 pieces — €47.90 | €0.120 |
| Straws | FRI-C65 — reusable straw | 5000 pieces — €75.70 | €0.015 |
A portion of chips in a cone therefore costs €0.026 in packaging, barely more than €0.066 with sauce. The reusable cup is the only item above ten cents, and its cost divides by the number of rotations your deposit brings back.
The item everyone underestimates
A carnival produces waste on a scale unrelated to normal service: cups returned or abandoned, cones, napkins, and everything the crowd leaves on the counter. Two pieces of advice from stallholders:
- Plan for twice the bin bags you estimate. A stall overflowing by 4 pm is effectively closed, because nobody can put a glass down any more.
- Organise cup returns before you open, not during. A visible return bin and a deposit announced at the counter beat any fix attempted mid-rush.
If your stall is mainly a chip shop, our guide to chip shop packaging compares cone, tray and bag, and the article on a chip shop's consumables budget costs out a whole season. The same cup rule applies to Christmas market stalls — it is the same decree.
🎭 Folklore is named in the text
The decree targets cultural, sporting, recreational, folklore and leisure events. A Walloon carnival is not a borderline case: it is the core target.
🍟 Food is not covered
Cones, trays and boxes remain ordinary food packaging. Only drinking cups change.
🗑️ Double the bin bags
A stall overflowing by 4 pm is effectively closed. It is the cheapest item on the list and the most expensive to underestimate.
Reusable beer cup 33 cl (FRI-C51)
The carnival format. Clear, sturdy, goes through a glasswasher and comes back to the stall with every deposit rotation.
- Box of 500 pieces — €98.00
- €0.196 per piece, divided by the number of rotations
- Compliant with the Walloon events decree
- 30 cl ECO PP format available for soft drinks
Cardboard chip cone TIP 2 (FRI-C25)
The large format, the carnival one. Card keeps chips hot without going soggy and holds in one hand — which matters when the other is holding a cup.
- Box of 1000 pieces — €26.16
- €0.026 per piece
- TIP 1 format available for small portions
- Not covered by the rule on cups
Frequently asked questions
Are reusable cups compulsory at a carnival ?
In Wallonia, yes. The decree of 9 March 2023, in force since 1 September 2023, bans single-use plastic cups for drinks at cultural, sporting, recreational, folklore and leisure events. A carnival falls squarely within that definition.
Is the stall liable, or only the organiser ?
The Walloon text explicitly names mobile and fixed traders located in the event area. Your stall is therefore directly covered, whatever the organiser has planned. Ask them anyway: many carnivals pool the cup stock and the deposit between stallholders.
Are chip cones covered ?
No. The ban applies to drinking cups. Cones, trays, boxes and cutlery remain ordinary food packaging, with no particular obligation tied to the event.
What does packaging a portion of chips cost ?
About €0.026 for a TIP 2 cone, and €0.066 with a sauce tray. On a portion sold at €4 or €5, packaging weighs less than 2% of the selling price: that is never where a carnival stall's margin is decided.
When should you order for carnival ?
Shrove Tuesday 2027 falls on 9 February, and the parades spread over the two weekends around it. An order placed in January leaves the margin needed, including on reusable references. GL Distribution delivers to Belgium, Luxembourg, France, the Netherlands and Germany.
Get your carnival stall ready
Compliant reusable cups, cones and trays, delivered before the parades.
See the reusable cupsSee the chip cones