Timothée Chalamet Crashes His Own Look-Alike Contest after Police Shut down Crowded Event

 Miles Mitchell, 21, winner of the Timothée Chalamet lookalike contest near Washington Square Park, Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024, in New York. (AP)
Miles Mitchell, 21, winner of the Timothée Chalamet lookalike contest near Washington Square Park, Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024, in New York. (AP)
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Timothée Chalamet Crashes His Own Look-Alike Contest after Police Shut down Crowded Event

 Miles Mitchell, 21, winner of the Timothée Chalamet lookalike contest near Washington Square Park, Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024, in New York. (AP)
Miles Mitchell, 21, winner of the Timothée Chalamet lookalike contest near Washington Square Park, Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024, in New York. (AP)

Actor Timothée Chalamet made a surprise appearance at his own look-alike contest in Lower Manhattan on Sunday, an event that drew hundreds of onlookers, a dispersal order from police and at least one arrest.

Flanked by bodyguards, Chalamet briefly posed for photos with his high-cheeked, curly haired doppelgängers, some of whom had dressed as the actor's characters in "Wonka" and the "Dune" movies.

But just as the wannabe-Chalamets began strutting along a red carpet in Washington Square Park, police ordered the large group to disperse, slapping organizers with a $500 fine for an "unpermitted costume contest."

At least one contestant was taken away in handcuffs, though police did not immediately say why. A spokesperson for the NYPD said charges were pending.

"It started off as a silly joke and now it's turned pandemonium," said Paige Nguyen, a producer for the YouTube personality Anthony Po, who staged the event.

The organizers had posted flyers for the contest — which promised a $50 prize to the winner — around New York in recent days, spurring social media speculation and thousands of RSVPs to an online invite.

After leaving the park, the group soon found a backup location in a nearby playground, where more than a dozen contestants competed for audience approval from a makeshift stage.

What makes a good Chalamet?

"It's all in the nose," said Lauren Klas, a 27-year-old graphic designer who clung to a fence post to get a better view of the stage. "All of his bone structure, really."

After winnowing down the group down to four, the remaining contestants were asked about their French proficiency, their plans to make the world a better place and their romantic intentions with Kylie Jenner. Chalamet and Jenner are said to be a couple.

Eventually, a winner was chosen: Miles Mitchell, a 21-year-old Staten Island resident, who dressed in a purple Willy Wonka outfit and tossed candy to the crowd from a briefcase.

As he stood next to a novelty-size check written out to "Best Tim," a group of admirers lined up for the chance to take a photo — or exchange social media profiles — with the winner.

"I'm excited and I'm also overwhelmed," Mitchell said. "There were so many good look-alikes. It was really a toss-up."



Fire Engulfs Main Stage of Belgium’s Tomorrowland Music Festival Ahead of Friday Start

 Smoke caused by a fire billows above the site of the Tomorrowland electronic music festival in Boom, northern Belgium on July 16, 2025. (AFP)
Smoke caused by a fire billows above the site of the Tomorrowland electronic music festival in Boom, northern Belgium on July 16, 2025. (AFP)
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Fire Engulfs Main Stage of Belgium’s Tomorrowland Music Festival Ahead of Friday Start

 Smoke caused by a fire billows above the site of the Tomorrowland electronic music festival in Boom, northern Belgium on July 16, 2025. (AFP)
Smoke caused by a fire billows above the site of the Tomorrowland electronic music festival in Boom, northern Belgium on July 16, 2025. (AFP)

A huge fire on Wednesday at Belgium's Tomorrowland music festival site has “severely damaged” the main stage two days before the event was due to start, organizers said.

No one was injured in the incident. Images shared on local news sites and social media showed flames and plumes of black smoke engulfing the stage and spreading to nearby woodland.

The annual festival in the town of Boom, north of Brussels, which is scheduled to start Friday, draws tens of thousands of visitors from around Europe.

“Due to a serious incident and fire on the Tomorrowland Mainstage, our beloved Mainstage has been severely damaged,” the organizers posted on the event's website. “We can confirm that no one was injured during the incident.”

The statement said the focus is now on “finding solutions” for the festival weekend. The cause of the fire was not given.