The 2019 flâneurs

An event organised by The Chap magazine, and a celebration of flâneurie. The idea is simply to dress in one’s finest, meet at the statue of Beau Brummell on Jermyn Street and from there go for a wander. The idea of the flâneur, as conceived and championed by the likes of Baudelaire and Balzac, is to walk without destination, simply to drift with the currents of the city. Obviously this presents a few problems for an organised event, as anyone who seeks to join after midday may struggle to find where people have gone. Perhaps they may break into groups and go in different directions. Such a walk was attempted once before, in 2019 (and it was intended as an annual event, but obviously Covid got in the way), but I myself was not in attendance so I can’t say how that panned out. (It wouldn’t surprise me if people simply tottered into the nearest hostelry and stayed there.) This time there is the added bonus of an evening party at the premises of the Camden Watch Company, 31, The Stables Market, Chalk Farm Road, London NW1 8AH, from 6pm, though I’ll be interested to see what state people are in after six hours of flâneurie…