A quiet first day
At the opening of Brest 2016 on July 13th, what looked like a large popular gathering left us with a taste of incompleteness: no crowds, no boats, difficulty in organizing... Nevertheless, it was easy to move around on the quays and visit cult boats such as the Hermione or the Renard, moored near the Recouvrance bridge.
Brest is Brest
From the next day - a public holiday - visitors were present in large numbers to stroll along the crowded quays with sunny weather in the background. The pontoons had filled up with the last of the absent visitors and the party could really begin. Songs, concerts, disguises, good atmosphere, boat launches, exceptional boats, sailing (sailing in the harbour under sail), fireworks, big parade ... Everything that makes Brest, Brest was put together for a week of madness!
If there was one thing to be deplored, it was probably the access to the pontoons for visitors. Most of the fleets are not accessible to them, leaving the historic and historically flagged boats. At the same time, from a safety point of view, it would not be prudent to allow crowds to move about on the pontoons in large numbers. But the dike of La Pérouse allowed the spectacle of the comings and goings of the boats at sea to be witnessed, with commentary.
People on the docks
In terms of visitors, the organisation of the Fêtes de Brest announces a slight drop in attendance compared to 2012 (740,000 visitors). As a reminder, four years ago, Tonnerre de Brest celebrated the 20th anniversary of the creation of the Fêtes de Brest and had made history in terms of attendance. Thus, in 2016, 712,000 visitors were counted, with around 120,000 visitors per day and a peak in attendance on 14 July with nearly 159,772 festival-goers. It must be said that the weather was good all week long!
As announced, 1050 boats were present bringing with them 9000 crew members! In 2012, only 900 of them were able to reach the Breton pontoons due to bad weather. There were small fishing boats as well as multihulls (golden oldies), historical replicas (Hermione), old rigging (Belle-Poule, Belem, Recouvrance...) and all sorts of sailing boats of varying sizes.
Highest satisfaction rate
Every year, the organisation carries out a major satisfaction survey on leaving the Fêtes de Brest festival grounds. Whereas in 2012, 89% of visitors were satisfied or very satisfied, in 2016, it is a record figure: an average of 98.76% with 4 days slightly exceeding 99%.
"Figures difficult to announce as they seem to come from a dream of organizers, but they are real, proof if proof were needed that the public found what they were looking for." writes the organization in its press release.
Photo credits : Bateaux.com
