Carlito takes part in the world seagull cry championship in Dunkirk

An unexpected participation to say the least. YouTuber Carlito — member of the duo McFly and Carlito — was this Sunday among the competitors in the thirteenth edition of the seagull cry world championship, an event that has become an essential part of the Dunkirk carnival (North).

YouTuber Raphaël Carlier, alias Carlito, presented for the occasion as “Johnny Carlimouette, from YouTube”, presented himself in a seagull suit, beak on his head and sunglasses on the tip of his nose.

In July 2025, he announced his intention to participate in the carnival in a video with his friend David Coscas, aka McFly. The latter was in the public on Sunday with a mask and introduced himself to AFP as “Johnny Carlimouette’s manager”. McFly and Carlito share a YouTube channel that exceeds 7.6 million subscribers as of February 2026.

It was ultimately a Dunkirk woman who was crowned. Bottle and glass of champagne in her arms, feathered suit and heart-shaped sunglasses, Laurie Duhaudt, alias “Master Mouette and Chandon” – a nod to her job as a bailiff – won the “shield of Mouéttus”, a trophy awarded to the winner.

Unmissable moment

A parallel event to the Dunkirk band, the first edition of which was held in 2013, the seagull cry championship has become one of the highlights of the carnival, which extends in the region over more than three months, from mid-January to the end of April. For the event, each participant creates a character and a costume, then appears on stage to launch their cry, sometimes high-pitched, sometimes snarling, into a microphone represented by a banana hanging from the ceiling, to the applause or whistles of the audience.

The winner is chosen by a jury of seven members, carnival figures and former winners, including the 2025 champion “Michel Polnamouette”.

The Dunkirk carnival has its roots in the 17th century, in the festivals which preceded the departure of fishermen for long and harsh months off the coast of Iceland.