ARMADA OF ROUEN. The largest gathering of sailboats and ships in the world offers many activities, concerts, not to mention the fifty boats to visit in Rouen.
[Updated June 9, 2023 12:11 PM] A colorful program awaits millions of eager visitors, 4 years after the previous edition which took place in 2019! For 10 days, until June 18, hundreds of thousands of visitors come to admire tall ships, buildings of the national navies or even sightseeing boats. A festive air invades the streets of Rouen where the public mixes with the thousands of sailors to celebrate the event during concerts, fireworks and parades.
Restaurants, themed villages and shops line the 7 kilometers of quays while concerts, giant fireworks and many events punctuate the event: a parade in town, the race of sailors of 30 different nationalities, a religious ceremony sailors… without forgetting the long-awaited Grand Parade on the banks of Rouen in Le Havre, on Sunday June 18, the end date of the event. Discover below the detailed program as well as all you need to know about the fifty boats that can be visited for free during the event.
The 2023 edition of the Rouen Armada is placed under the sponsorship of the writer Michel Bussi. It is intended to be “a new invitation to discover ships steeped in history in a spirit of maritime celebration”. Here are the program highlights:
In total, around fifty ships are present at the 2023 edition of the Rouen Armada, along the 7 kilometers of quays, offering a unique reception area in the world. They can all be visited free of charge from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day:
Discover below the poster of the Armada de Rouen, an internal creation of the Association Armada de la liberté and the hundreds of volunteers who carry the event:
The Rouen Armada has the advantage of being a totally free event for all visitors. Only the food and goodies found on site are chargeable. Be sure to visit the event’s website to discover or rediscover the boats that have already come during the 7 previous editions and join the Rouen Armada on social networks (Facebook and Twitter).
The 8th edition of the Armada de Rouen takes place from Thursday 8 to Sunday 18 June 2023. 6 million visitors are expected on the quays of the port of Rouen for this 8th edition, in order to welcome the most beautiful and largest boats that will have gone up the Seine, from Le Havre to Paris, over 120 kilometres.
The Armada de Rouen is the most important event in the world of the sea which takes place every four to six years in Rouen. The idea for this event on the quays of Rouen was born in 1983. Two years later, the association “Les voiles de la liberté” was born by creating, in 1986, the famous “Course de la Liberté Rouen-New York”. In 1994, the first Armada was created (“Armada of freedom”) and will be followed 5 years later by “The armada of the century”. Finally, the first “Armada de Rouen” was born in 1989. It welcomed that year, for its first edition, 9 million people. Coming from the distant ports of the Baltic Sea, the Polar Seas or the Caribbean, the sailboats of the Armada are among the most beautiful in the world.
