The Landing of June 6, 1944 and the Battle of Normandy are engraved in the mind of every Norman.
It is part of a common heritage that we have at heart to transmit to you.
See you in 2024 for the 80th Anniversary of D-Day and the Battle of Normandy.
Countdown to June 6, 2024
On June 6, 1944, and in the days that followed, thousands of young men representing fifteen different nations and 177 Frenchmen of the Kieffer Commando landed on the Normandy beaches to liberate us.
Historians consider the D-Day landings to be the largest amphibious and airborne operation of all time. Welcome to celebrate the Anniversary of D-Day and the Battle of Normandy.
At dawn on 6 June 1944, an armada of 7,000 ships approached the Normandy coast.
On board were 133,000 men preparing to land in the Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword sectors.
A major air and naval bombardment operation preceded the assault.
On the evening of 6 June, more than 156,000 allied soldiers, including 23,000 paratroopers and 20,000 vehicles, were on Normandy soil.
On the evening of D-Day, 10,300 allied soldiers were killed, wounded, taken prisoner or reported missing.
Three months of battles followed to liberate Normandy. Then it was the turn of Paris and finally the whole of Europe.
Even today, these traces of the Second World War are still visible in the remains of the Atlantic Wall, the military cemeteries and the places to visit.
Normandy is a land of remembrance and history, welcoming visitors from all countries and all generations to share the memory of those who fought for peace and freedom.
Where will the international ceremony take place in 2024?
Monument les Braves Omaha beach, Anilore Banon, credit M.A Thierry
On 6 June 2024, the international ceremony marking the 80th Anniversary of D-Day and the Battle of Normandy would take place on Omaha Beach, Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer, on the American sector.
We will be honoured to welcome around fifteen Canadian veterans to the Juno Beach ceremonies on 6 June 2024.
What are the traffic conditions in Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer ?
To travel in Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer on 5 and 6 June, you will need a pass.
How to get around on 6 June 2024 in Normandy ?
Anyone wishing to enter the Regulated Traffic Zone on 6 June must obtain a pass in the form of a sticker. With the exception of certain routes on 6 June, traffic in the département of
Calvados will be completely free.
The stickers will be issued from 22 April 2024 until 4 June 2024.
A sticker is also required for users wishing to leave and re-enter the Regulated Traffic Zone on 6 June for the duration of the scheme.
Even with the sticker, it will be forbidden to drive on the RN13, the D514 (coastal road) and the D517 (road from Formigny to Saint-Laurent) from 6am to around 7pm on 6 June (times will vary depending on the movements of official convoys).
Who should have a sticker on their vehicle ?
- Residents of the Regulated Traffic Zone and their relatives (primary and secondary residences),
- Guests of hotels, gîtes or campsites located in the Regulated Traffic Zone,
- Professionals working in the Regulated Traffic Zone,
- Those involved in day-to-day economic and social life (taxis, coach operators, personal services, public services, company vehicles, etc.) who will be driving in the Regulated Traffic Zone on 6 June.
How do I get a sticker ?
- For permanent or temporary residents and professionals of the Regulated Traffic Zone, go to the town hall with :
- the vehicle registration document,
- proof of address or any other proof (gîte rental contract, hotel bill, etc.),
- an identity document.
For people with no connection with a commune in the zone : at the prefecture, with
the vehicle registration document, proof of identity, either by e-mail (collection from the prefecture by appointment) or by post (with a stamped reply envelope to be provided).
When will the stickers be issued ?
- At the town hall from 22 April to 4 June
- At the prefecture from 22 April to 31 May
Information will be provided at a later date on traffic restrictions and bans for 6 June.
What are the events and highlights ?
Credit : S. Frères
- Numerous events will be organised in Normandy and, in particular, on the D-Day landing beaches between 1 March and 15 October 2024.
- The highlights will take place between 1 and 16 June, during the D-Day Festival Normandy.
This festival brings together more than 150 festive events : parachute drops,
re-enactments of military camps
bagpipe parades, military vehicle exhibitions, folk dances, concerts from the 40s, etc.
The D-Day Festival Normandy will begin on 1 June 2024 with twenty fireworks displays simultaneously.
D-Day Festival Normandy – teaser :
Events to mark the 80th anniversary of the D-Day in the Coeur de Nacre
Temporary exhibition on the Royal Canadian Air Force at the Juno Beach Centre (Courseulles-sur-Mer), from March 2024.
Sound and images, Station Radar 4 (Douvres-la-Délivrande) : a tour with sound and images projected onto 3 of the museum’s bunkers, recounting the history of the site, the radars and their involvement during the D-Day landings, on 16, 23 and 30 April from 20:00 to 23:00, 31 October and 09 November from 19:00 to 22:00.
On 2 June, the Freedom Marathon will pass through the seaside resorts of the Côte de Nacre in the morning (Departure : Courseulles-sur-Mer).
Second World War military camp (Bernières-sur-Mer) from 1 June to 9 June from 10:00 to 18:00, with Canadian military vehicles, radios, a field kitchen… as well as the camp, you can visit an exhibition by the Quebec Boiler Regiment in Zutphen. On Sunday 9 June, at 3pm, there will be a free concert by the group Les Marie-Claire.
Parade of military vehicles and performances by pipe bands (bagpipes and drums) from Luc-sur-Mer to Courseulles-sur-Mer, 2 June, from 1.15pm.
Laying of “Stolpersteine” memorial paving stones in tribute to tdeported and missing people (Langrune-sur-Mer), 2 June.
Screening of the documentary “1944: les colis sont bien arrivés” directed by Arnaud Blin (Douvres-la-Délivrande), 4 June
The lantern ceremony
The Canada House was the first house to be liberated by sea on 6 June 1944.
The first ceremony took place at 8am on 6 June, in the presence of regiments from the Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada and a delegation from the Régiment de la Chaudière.
The lantern ceremony, organised by the Association La Maison des Canadiens, takes place on 6 June at 9pm. To the sound of bagpipes and on a bed of flowers, we return the light (which symbolises Liberty) to the sea, where it arrived.
Commemorative march from Saint-Aubin-sur-Mer to Tailleville, retracing the route of Bathurst’s North Shore Regiment, 6 June.
Jeep rally and parade, Band of Liberation concert (Luc-sur-Mer), 7 June.
Liberation Ball (Bernières-sur-Mer), 7 June.
Sound, light and fireworks show : “La mémoire en un siècle d’histoire” (Courseulles-sur-Mer). On a giant 63 m² screen, you’ll be able to watch the great moments from the 1920s to the present day, interspersed with pyrotechnic interludes, videos and archive footage. There will be a special focus on the Second World War period, to show our eternal gratitude to our liberators, 8 June 11pm.
Vintage parade with decorated bicycles, military vehicles, bagad and vintage dance (Douvres-la-Délivrande), 8 June.
Panama Swing” concert (Luc-sur-Mer), 8 June.
La Berniéraise, a sailing and rowing event, will be held on 8 June :
Exhibition “They saw the landing at Juno Beach and the liberation of Carpiquet“, from 1 to 30 June 2024 in the western part of the Canada House in Bernières-sur-Mer.
The Canadian War Cemetery at Reviers-Bény will be illuminated with thousands of luminous lights on the evening of 5 and 6 June by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission to honour the soldiers buried there.
Full programme in the tourist offices.
The Acadian Week Festival
The Acadian Week Festival returns for its 19th edition from 7 to 15 August 2024.
Created to pay tribute to the Acadian soldiers who landed on the beaches of Normandy on 6 June 1944, and to celebrate the vitality of today’s Acadia, this festival, with almost 15,000 participants, is the biggest event dedicated to the whole of Acadia in France, and one of the key events of the summer on the Côte de Nacre.
The programme includes : commemorative ceremonies, an exhibition on witnesses to the D-Day landings, a concert for peace, a ballet entitled Lest We Forget, documentaries on Canada during the Battle of Normandy, a theme day on life at the time of the landings, and a historical walk.
14 August: an exceptional guitar concert entitled Les années 40 et la Libération, created by the great guitarist Jean Félix Lalanne.
This is a one-off show featuring a dozen great musicians, including Michael Jones.
Set against a backdrop of period artefacts and projected archive images, they will bring to life the great music and songs of the 1940s, as well as the soundtracks to films about the Second World War.
The list below is not exhaustive and is subject to change without notice. .
Where to stay on 6 June in Normandy ?
Credit : Villa Juno
We strongly advise you to contact the tourist offices to find out what accommodation, hotels, gîtes, B&Bs and rentals are still available around 6 June 2024.
Which Battle of Normandy sites and museums are worth visiting ?
With 94 memorial sites and places to visit, 44 museums, 21 memorials and natural sites and 29 cemeteries, remembrance tourism is the number one theme for visits in Normandy.
The “visitor’s guide” brochure below will help you prepare your itinerary, with all the practical information you need.
Inside the guide, you’ll find a list of places of remembrance, cemeteries, sites and museums associated with the Second World War :
Brochure available free of charge from tourist offices
The sectors of the D-Day landing beaches in Normandy
Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword, these names may remind you of World War II history classes.
What could be better than to come with your family to discover the sites and museums that tell the story of what the soldiers and civilians experienced on June 6, 1944.
The D-Day landing beaches are one of those destinations that you should visit at least once in your life.
Realization : Creacom Bokeh
New at the Juno Beach Centre, Courseulles-sur-Mer
Credit : CJB-Nik
From February, the room dedicated to contemporary Canada will be redone and updated.
Visitors will discover a more immersive, digitalized space in the continuation of the experience of the film In Their Footsteps which is very moving.
This new hall will be officially opened on June 6, 2024.
The Juno Beach Centre is also preparing a new temporary exhibit for 2024 on the theme of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) celebrating its 100th anniversary.
Many other novelties on the side of the museums of the space of the Battle of Normandy will see the day in 2024 to better welcome you.
3 apps to discover the DDAY
Through 3 free web applications and dozens of audio testimonies, archival images and videos, dive into the heart of this historic battle: D-Day.
- In their Footsteps : Their names are Léonard, Thomas or Françoise. They tell their memories of 1944: the occupation, the wait for the landing, the sounds and smells of D-Day, the meeting with the Canadian soldiers…
- Remem’ Bernières : About thirty photos of time on external supports mark out the 2 geolocalized circuits : ” They disembarked ” and ” they liberated our village “. An arrowing in the commune makes it possible to follow step by step the course of the soldiers in Bernières-sur-Mer.
- D-Day App is a free app to visit the Normandy Landing Beaches through thirty points of interest. From Utah Beach to Sword Beach, discover the history of the D-Day with a complete audio guide and a retrospective map.
Practical information
Looking for accommodation ?
Would you like to know the list of commemorative ceremonies ?
Do you need information on traffic restrictions ?
Please contact our tourist offices.
You can also visit the region’s website :
