Paz, Tom and Lila: the gang behind our Berck-sur-Mer universe

To tell children about the 40th International Kite Festival of Berck-sur-Mer (17-25 April 2027), we needed guides. Meet the gang who host the mini-games of our Berck-sur-Mer universe and write "Tom and Lila's journal" here on the blog.

Paz, the mascot of the Pas-de-Calais

All blue, all fluffy, with a "62" on her tummy: Paz is the mascot of the Pas-de-Calais Département, in northern France. The Département describes her as cheerful and warm, proud of her département and its 887 towns and villages. She took over from Bijou, the Boulonnais horse, who retired to the Boulonnais horse centre in Samer.

Her name has two stories: it comes from "patz", an old French word for "strait" — the Pas de Calais, the Strait of Dover between Calais and Dover that gave the département its name — and in Spanish, paz means peace, a nod to the days of the Spanish Netherlands. Paz loves photos: the Département even runs a game, "Où se cache Paz?" ("Where is Paz hiding?"), to guess where she is posing, and invited 5-to-10-year-olds to a drawing contest, "Paz, un dessin pour nos aînés" ("Paz, a drawing for our elders").

In our universe, Paz holds the whale's line at the bottom of the big "40" of kites, and she asks the questions of the quiz — with a little kite flyer's diploma at the end.

Tom, the kite builder

Yellow cap on backwards, blue fringe and orange vest: Tom always has a piece of string in his pocket. His dream? To fly a kite he built himself at the festival. He hosts the "Design your kite" workshop: shape, colours, tail, face… and you can download your creation.

Lila, the pilot

Pink cap, green hair and big glasses — to follow the kites way up high, even into the sun: Lila feels the wind turn before anyone else. She hosts "Fly your kite": pull the line, catch the stars and hearts, dodge the seagulls.

Pebble and Feather

Two beach friends complete the gang:

• Pebble (Galet), a harbour seal of the Authie bay, naps on the sandbanks at low tide. He likes people… from far away! He hosts "Seals of the bay", a binoculars game that teaches the 300-metre rule.
• Feather (Plume), an owl kite that flew away from the 40th anniversary poster, knows every kite by heart. She hosts Kite Memory.

Tom and Lila's journal

Until the festival in April 2027, Tom and Lila will tell you about Berck-sur-Mer here: the kites, the beach, the lighthouse, the seals… The first issue is already out: Berck-sur-Mer celebrates 40 years of kites.

Paz is the mascot of the Pas-de-Calais Département (pasdecalais.fr, in French); her look here follows our illustrations. Tom, Lila, Pebble and Feather are characters created by Appynamic for this universe. This site is an independent project: it is not the official site of the town, the festival or the Département.