Binche is part of the UNESCO World heritage not because of its medieval battlements, but thanks to its carnival where on Mardi Gras, the Gilles, clown-like performers, gather together as a reminder of when the Spanish held sway over the area in the 14th century. Cycling fans prefer to go there in the autumn to watch the Binche-Chimay-Binche semi-classic, born in 1911 and won by Arnaud Démare in 2014.