The 19th edition of the festival will take place from 7 to 15 August 2024 in Courseulles-sur-Mer and on the Côte de Nacre.
This flagship event for Acadia in France pays tribute to the Acadian soldiers who landed on the beaches of Normandy on 6 June 1944. This year, the festival is being held to mark the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings and the Battle of Normandy.
It also celebrates the vitality of today’s Acadia.
On the programme for this 19th edition : commemorative ceremonies, an exhibition on the witnesses of the D-Day landings, a concert for peace, a ballet entitled “Lest We Forget”, the net of wishes for peace, the screening of documentaries on Canada during the Battle of Normandy, a theme day on “Life at the time of the D-Day landings”, and a historical walk.
Some key events :
- A ceremony in tribute to the Piron Brigade on 8 August at Courseulles-sur-Mer, on the very spot where they landed 80 years earlier,
- A historical walk, “L’Acadienne”, on 9 August, guided by Canadian guides from the Juno Beach Centre, from Saint-Aubin-sur-Mer to the Juno Beach Centre at Courseulles-sur-Mer,
- A themed day on “Life at D-Day”, including a rally and parade of 1940s vehicles, the Overlord brass band playing music from the 1940s, and dance demonstrations – on 11 August at Courseulles-sur-Mer,
- 4 ceremonies in honour of Acadian soldiers in Carpiquet, Bernières-sur-Mer, Authie and Courseulles-sur-Mer – on 12 and 13 August,
- A night-time lighting ceremony at the Bény-sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery, during which the graves of the 61 Acadian soldiers buried there will be identified with candles – 12 August,
- A major “Concert for Peace” featuring all the Acadian artists – on 12 August in Courseulles-sur-Mer,
- A major show, “La libération autour de la guitare”, created especially and exclusively for the festival by Jean Félix Lalanne with Michael Jones and 10 other musicians, on 14 August in Courseulles-sur-Mer,
- Demonstrations of 40s dances by the troupe “Les Retrouvailles” (New Brunswick) in Courseulles-sur-Mer, Bernières-sur-Mer and Douvres-la-Délivrande,
- A dance performance by Caroline Lemaitre, “Devoir de mémoire”, by the iConiC company – on 14 August in Courseulles-sur-Mer,
- An open-air exhibition at Courseulles-sur-Mer, featuring 75 eyewitness accounts of the Juno Beach landings and the liberation of Carpiquet,
And many other events to be found on the festival website.
Special focus on 14 August : a special concert entitled “The 40s and the Liberation through the guitar“. Created by the great guitarist Jean Félix Lalanne especially for the festival, this show will be presented on this occasion only. It will bring together on stage a dozen great musicians, including Michael Jones, whose father landed on the Normandy coast on 6 June 1944. Set against a backdrop of period artefacts and projected archive footage, 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.
Other events are currently being prepared. Details of the programme will be available soon.
Practical information
La Semaine Acadienne in pictures
