On Sunday 14th July, a group of flâneurs assembled before the statue of Beau Brummell on Jermyn Street, London at midday. At precisely the same hour, another group of German flâneurs assembled in Dusseldorf, while yet another group in Los Angeles prepared to set off when the London walk reached its destination.
This proved impossible, for all three walks aimed to explore the art of the flâneur, which is to walk without purpose or destination. Without plan, strategy or appointment and armed only with curiosity, an open mind and unlimited time, the flâneur walks among the crowds, oblivious to the ceaseless chattering around him. The flâneur bypasses all tourist sights and monuments, seeking his own particular set of archaeological points of interest, to which he or she may, or may not, return to one day.
The London chapter didn’t set off on their walk until about 12.30, having milled about on Jermyn Street, adjusted their dress and sipped from their hip flasks. Once the walk commenced, consensus proved somewhat difficult, for the flâneur is essentially a solitary creature. The communal walk down St James’s Street en masse made slow progress, and it wasn’t long before a hostelry was espied, a rare sight on a Sunday on the south side of Piccadilly. There was no difficulty in gaining consensus on a short pause for refreshments, the flâneurs’ curiosity having already been whetted by walking through an alleyway where Oscar Wilde was said to have propositioned guardsmen. A toast was raised to the old libertine, and the walk progressed towards Soho.
Meanwhile, the Dusseldorf flâneurs strolled along the Rhine, surviving the midsummer heat in crisp linens and summer frocks, albeit Edwardian ones.
At 8pm, the London flâneurs were exhausted, having walked at least three quarters of a mile, and pause was taken at the Blue Posts on Rupert Street, Soho. Here the baton was handed over to the Los Angeles flâneurs, for it was now midday California time. Setting off from the Millennium Biltmore Hotel, the LA flâneurs faced the biggest challenge of all three chapters, by proposing to spend the whole day walking in a city not generally disposed towards perambulators of the pavement.
The LA flâneurs certainly aroused the curiosity of the LAPD, who asked them where their vehicles were. Once flanerie was briefly explained to the officer, he agreed to have his photograph taken, though near the safety of a car.
The Grand Flâneur Walk proved that, in a world dedicated to keeping appointments, making schedules and having specific destinations, there is still room to roam without purpose or target, and that some activities, much like elegant clothing, don’t need to be brought ‘up-to-date’ or modernised in any way to improve them. Men and women may still enjoy the simple pleasure of walking, allowing nothing but curiosity and an open mind to guide them.
Take part in the next Grand Flaneur Walk on Saturday 14th May 2022
‘Life, make it up as you go along. To be a flânuer is as breathing. It’s more than a way of life. ‘‘Tis life itself’.
M. Sebastian D’Lacey
Help help!! I am a lone flaneur in Los Angeles, and cannot figure when and where to report for walkies, cane in hand.
Please explicate clearly,
JACK ENYART
Sir, the Los Angeles meeting point on Sunday 14th July at midday is the Bar of the Millennium Biltmore Hotel, 506 S Grand Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90071
I reside in Sydney Australia and have a very splendid cane with a gold eagle atop. To where should I retreat on the 14 th to enjoy une touché de flaneur?
Would love to join this, such fun, but, being Australian, I have no suitable finery! 🙁
[…] 12 The Grand Flâneur Walk, Mayfair14 JulyThe Chap magazine, a quarterly magazine and the founder of the Chap Olympiad, marks its 100th edition and 20th anniversary this summer with The Grand Flâneur Walk. The immaculately dressed mass-saunter through the busy streets of London will feature more than 100 Chaps and Chapettes in full regalia, and you’re invited to join the louche wandering of the city. Starting at the Beau Brummell statue on Jermyn Street in Mayfair at midday, the route has no destination and no schedule – a novelty for the google-map reliant over-planners of the 21st century.thechap.net […]
[…] 12 The Grand Flâneur Walk, Mayfair14 JulyThe Chap magazine, a quarterly magazine and the founder of the Chap Olympiad, marks its 100th edition and 20th anniversary this summer with The Grand Flâneur Walk. The immaculately dressed mass-saunter through the busy streets of London will feature more than 100 Chaps and Chapettes in full regalia, and you’re invited to join the louche wandering of the city. Starting at the Beau Brummell statue on Jermyn Street in Mayfair at midday, the route has no destination and no schedule – a novelty for the google-map reliant over-planners of the 21st century.thechap.net […]
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[…] inviting the general public to travel back in time and become one themselves. On Sunday 14th July, The Grand Flâneur Walk is scheduled to take place: “an immaculately dressed mass-saunter through the busy streets of […]
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Sirs, thank you for existing. We have enjoyed an aimless saunter about London for the past thirty years and continue to do so in Inverness (weather permitting).
T. Foley