EXCEPTIONAL SAILBOATS AND VESSELS AT THE ROUEN ARMADA

The Rouen Armada is the international gathering of exceptional sailboats and ships. This year, it begins on June 8 and ends on June 18.

Free event, the Armada d Rouen or “Armada de la Liberté” takes place every 4 to 6 years on the quays of the Seine in Rouen, capital of Normandy. On this occasion, visitors can stroll on the quays, visit sailboats, even without reservation and attend concerts in the evening.

The site is accessible from 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. by 4 possible entrances and the ships (large civilian sailing ships) can be visited from June 9 to 17 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Timetables for military and state buildings should be consulted.

For this 8th edition, more than 6 million visitors are expected during these 10 days, along 7 km of quays with 45 sailboats and military ships as well as thousands of sailors of 20 nationalities. Access to the site is free and daytime boat tours are free.

The Rouen Armada is also an opportunity to take part in free events, concerts and watch fireworks. Tourists can meet up during the “Grande Pagaille” and follow the parade of sailors in the streets of the city center, jogging on the quays and the Grand Parade of boats descending the Seine from Rouen to the sea.

2023 Armada Schedule

• June 7: “La Grande Pagaille”, launch day of the th edition of the Armada. Challenges await the competitors before the arrival of the boats, the crews compete in imagination and originality by trying to cross the Seine aboard an “Unidentified Floating Object” Before the arrival of the first sailboats, in the evening even, we discover cultural and sports activities.
• June 8: Arrival of the boats and popular ball / UNESCO World Oceans Day
• June 9: Arrival of the boats and Congress of Merit
• June 10: Official inauguration of the Armada. Meeting with the officials who contributed to the realization of the event. Parade of kayaks on the Seine.
• June 11: Sailors’ Mass, with all the sailors from all over the world, from the tall ship “L’Atlantis”.
• June 12: Regattas and fireworks
• June 13: Regattas, concerts and fireworks
• June 14: Parade of the crews in the center of the city (La Parade des Marins, Parade of the optimists on the Seine, Parade of the crews towards the Hôtel de Ville)
• June 15: Entertainment, concerts and fireworks
• June 16: Entertainment, concerts and fireworks
• June 17: Footing des Marins with crews from all over the world, through the streets of Rouen
• June 18: Grande Parade de la Seine-Maritime (All along the Seine, from Rouen to the estuary, 120 km between Honfleur and Le Havre.) The members of each crew position themselves in the sails to say a last Goodbye.

To have a magnificent view of the show, it is recommended to position yourself:

• At the foot of the Flaubert Bridge (on foot)
• On the Pont de Bretonne in Caudebec-en-Caux
• In Villequier
• On the Tancarville bridge
• In Sahur / La Bouille
• In Jumieges
• In Gonfreville l’Orcher

Inauguration of the Armada

The 2023 Armada was officially inaugurated on June 10 at 10:30 a.m. in the presence of various representatives of communities and territories. The procession, led by Jean-Paul Rivière, president of the volunteers, but also the associations, suppliers and partners left from the left bank (at 108) to join the right bank, passing by the Guillaume Le Conquérant bridge. This year, 45 boats, including 37 old sailboats from all over the world, are taking part in the event. Among them are the Mexican training ship “Cuauhtémoc” or the “Canopée”, Ariane Group’s cargo sailboat, propelled by wings rigged on masts 36 meters high.

Armada Fence

The Armada ends on June 18. The sailboats will leave the quays of Rouen at 8 a.m. and cross the Flaubert bridge, raised between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. Around 11:30 a.m., the Patrouille de France will fly over the boats between Rouen and the Brotonne bridge.

For 10 days, the crews put on a show, whether European, Asian or American. We were able to find the Indonesian 3-masted Bima Suci, the regulars like the Belem or the Mexican Cuauhtemoc or the gigantic Norwegian boat, the Statstraad Lehmkuhl.

Music program

The Rouen Armada is an event that lasts 10 days on the banks of the Seine. Every day, every 4 to 6 years, free entertainment and concerts take place. The Grand Parade takes place on the last day, when the boats travel up the Seine to the river estuary between Honfleur and Le Havre. Here is the list of concerts for 2023:

Friday, June 9:
6:30 p.m.: Annabella Hawk
8:05 p.m.: Che Sudaka
9:55 p.m.: Deluxe
Saturday June 10:
5:30 p.m.: Adelys
6:45 p.m.: Captain Sparks & Royal Company
8:15 p.m.: Jennifer
10:10 p.m .: Petit Biscuit back on stage after 4 years of absence

Sunday June 11:
5:30 p.m.: Just Alone
6:45 p.m.: Color Earth
8:15 p.m.: Rue Kétanou
9:55 p.m.: Tryo

Tuesday, June 13:
7:15 p.m.: Meg
8:15 p.m.: Hot Rod 56
10 p.m.: D-Day Ladies

Wednesday, June 14:
6:45 p.m.: Oceng Oryema
8:20 p.m.: Issara
10 p.m.: Earth Wind & Fire Experience by Al McKay

Thursday, June 15:
6:45 p.m.: Bad Bag Bird
8:20 p.m.: We Hate You Please Die
10 p.m.: Trust

Friday, June 16:
6:15 p.m.: The Songwriters
7:15 p.m.: Amir
9 p.m.: Lotti
10:05 p.m.: Black M
Saturday June 17:
5:30 p.m.: Five
6:50 p.m.: Medina
8:15 p.m.: Amel Bent
9:55 p.m.: The Avener

In total, we expect nearly 200,000 spectators and concerning the artists, 28 groups, half of which are from Normandy. A special evening dedicated to the landing is also planned, one year from his 80th birthday.

In addition, the Footing des Marins and the Défilé des Kayaks are canceled on June 17 due to pollution. According to the opinion of the Prefecture, the Footing des Marins is replaced by a walk of about 1 km between 8 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. on a route going from the Rouen Normandy Metropolis building on the left bank to hangar 23 on the right bank, passing through the Flaubert bridge. . The parade of kayaks is replaced by a boat trip at the same times and on the same route.

Copyright ©2023 IMPACT EUROPEAN

Copyright ©2023 IMPACT EUROPEAN. All rights reserved.

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VERONIQUE YANG

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