Licques

Licques (French pronunciation: [lik]) is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France^[2] 24 km south of Calais in the valley of the Hem. It is a large producer of turkeys and other fowl.

Licques turkey statue

Licques
Commune
The town hall of Licques
Coat of arms
Location of Licques
Licques Show map of France Licques Show map of Hauts-de-France
Coordinates: 50°47′09″N 1°56′15″E
Country	France
Region	Hauts-de-France
Department	Pas-de-Calais
Arrondissement	Calais
Canton	Calais-2
Intercommunality	CC Pays d'Opale
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	Brigitte Havart[1]
Area 1	18.36 km2 (7.09 sq mi)
Population  (2021)	1,636
• Density	89.11/km2 (230.8/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	62506 /62850
Elevation	52–176 m (171–577 ft) (avg. 87 m or 285 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Population

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1968	1,307	—
1975	1,389	+0.87%
1982	1,387	−0.02%
1990	1,351	−0.33%
1999	1,440	+0.71%
2007	1,520	+0.68%
2012	1,585	+0.84%
2017	1,631	+0.57%
Source: INSEE[3]

Transport

The Chemin de fer de Boulogne à Bonningues (CF de BB) opened a station at Licques on 22 April 1900^[4] which closed in 1948.^[5]

Notable person

• Léon Bence (1929–1987), physician, was born in Licques

Turkey festival

Parade of the Turkeys

Licques holds an annual turkey festival,^[6] which features a parade of local notables in traditional robes and costumes herding turkeys through the town center, led by the Noble Dames and Knights of the Brotherhood of the Turkey. In the past, a local liqueur^[7] was served heated from a communal cauldron set up in the town square, but this has been replaced in recent years by turkey soup.

Cultural events are staged throughout the day, and a large farmer's market is set up, selling turkeys and other local produce.^[8]

See also

• Communes of the Pas-de-Calais department