42 ships expected and newcomers
The Rouen Armada has been gathering tall ships from all over the world since 1989, approximately every four years. For this new edition, the city's quays will welcome 42 ships, more than a third of which are newcomers. Among the latter, the public will be able to discover the Canopée, a 121-meter-long cargo ship designed to transport the Ariane 6 rocket from European ports to Kourou in French Guiana while reducing the environmental impact, and the Bima Sucis, a modern training ship of the Indonesian navy, which will come to Europe for the first time.
We will also find at the quay ships well known for these maritime gatherings such as the Belem, the Belle-Poule, the Hydrograff, the Etoile du Roy or the Marité. Several ships of the French Navy will also be present.
Free daily visits
Every day, from 10 am to 5 pm, the boats will be open to visit for free, on the 7 km of quays from the right bank to the left bank. Twenty or so boats will allow visitors to enjoy the visit on the river. In total, more than 30 nationalities will be represented and nearly 7,000 sailors from around the world will be present in Rouen. The latter will parade in the city center on a 3.5 km course, under the eyes of hundreds of thousands of spectators.
In addition to the visit of the boats, 300 stands and 15 thematic villages will punctuate the event, during which there will be concerts, parades, various animations and each evening a fireworks display.
Several highlights
Among the highlights, we will note the Grande Pagaille, a gathering of 22 unidentified floating objects on the Seine. Finally, the Great Parade of Seine-Maritime, the last day of the Rouen Armada, during which sailboats and military ships will leave the quays of Rouen to sail along the Seine to Le Havre.
