Apéro & Fish dating

The Alliance Française Rotterdam invites you to its apéro on Wednesday, April 1st! 🐟

Come spend an evening in a friendly atmosphere over a glass of wine, have fun, and meet new people.

The concept is simple: team up with other participants to come up with the best jokes of the night!

💐We’ll also be welcoming Mélissa, who will be there to present her perfumes.

📚 French-language books will also be on sale, take this opportunity to expand your library.

Registration for this event is free, but if you’d like to support the Alliance Française, please feel free to purchase a ticket (€5). Your support allows us to offer a rich and diverse cultural program throughout the year. Thank you!

📍 Location: Alliance Française de Rotterdam
🎟️ Free with registration; donations are welcome to support us.
🥂 Drinks and snacks available on site.

🐟 In France, April 1 is a day dedicated to jokes, pranks, and hoaxes. The tradition of «poisson d’avril/April Fools’ Day» goes back to the 16th century, when King Charles IX changed the calendar. The first day of the year, which used to be in April, was moved to January 1. But some people continued to give each other New Year’s gifts on April 1. Little by little, these gifts turned into jokes, and then into fish pinned to people’s backs!

The custom of «poisson d’avril/April Fools’ Day» involves pinning a (paper) fish on someone’s back. When the person discovers the prank, you must say, «Poisson d’avril!» This custom is said to be linked to Lent, the Christian period during which fish is the main food permitted.