làThe place to be Posted on 20.12.2023
Find out what major events are planned for Caen la mer in 2024. From anniversary years to cultural events, don’t miss out on the must-see events in Normandy!
80th Anniversary of the D-Day and the Battle of Normandy
FROM 1 MARCH TO 15 OCTOBER 2024
In 2024, Normandy will be celebrating the 80th anniversary of D-Day, the day on 06 June 1944 when almost 150,000 men landed on the Normandy coast to liberate Europe. 80 years on, the region is not forgetting and is celebrating its new-found freedom.
The international ceremony will take place at Saint-Laurent-sur-mer in the Omaha Beach area on 06 June 2024. Numerous commemorations will take place from June onwards.
At the same time, the 18th D-Day Festival Normandy is organising a festive programme of events around the theme of Freedom. Find out about all the events in Caen la mer on the “D-Day Festival Normandy” page.
Normandy Impressionist Festival
FROM 22 MARCH TO 22 SEPTEMBER 2024
This year, we’ll be celebrating 150 years of Impressionism. The Normandy Impressionist festival is back for its 5th edition. Exhibitions, events, cultural programmes and performances will all be on show to raise the profile of this artistic movement so dear to Normandy and its painters.
Key events in Caen la mer :
- “Le spectacle de la marchandise. Art et commerce, 1860-1914” (6 April – 8 September 2024) and “Monique Frydman. L’Age d’or” at the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Caen.
- Exhibition of Sean Scully and his large abstract canvases under the high vaults of Saint-Nicolas church, Caen.
THE OLYMPIC FLAME PASSES THROUGH CAEN
30 MAY 2024
For the Olympic Games in Paris in 2024, the Olympic flame will pass through Calvados on Thursday 30 May 2024. Its route is divided into 7 stages: Omaha Beach, Lisieux, Cabourg/Dives/Houlgate, Honfleur, Bayeux, Falaise and will end in Caen, the stopover town.
The torch relay in Caen will cover around 8 kilometres and could pass through the following locations (work in progress):
- Departmental Sports Centre and Prestavoine stadium in Hérouville Saint-Clair,
- Abbaye aux Dames,
- Avenue du 6 juin,
- Castle,
- Place Saint-Sauveur,
- Hôtel du Département,
- Prefecture,
- City Hall and Abbaye aux Hommes
A festive and popular evening is planned to help promote physical activity for all.
THE WATCHERS, A PRELUDE TO THE CITY’S MILLENNIUM
FROM 21 MARCH 2024 TO 20 MARCH 2025
Like a countdown to the city of Caen’s 1,000th anniversary, every day from 21 March 2024 onwards, one person will stand watch over the city from the castle ramparts every morning and one person every evening. One hour at sunrise and one hour at sunset, for 365 days. In all, 730 watchers (2 per day) will take advantage of this timeless moment to admire Caen from a high point. The project, the brainchild of choreographer Joanne Leighton, has been running successfully around the world since 2011.
