Let the party begin!

June 3 and 4 will officially mark the start of the festivities for the first qualifying race for the Vendée Globe 2024 the single-handed, non-stop and without assistance race round the world. The festivities begin this Friday, June 3, in Les Sables d'Olonne, with the big parade of Vendée Globe 2020-2021 skippers from 9:30 p.m. The start village of the Arctic Vendée will open its doors the next morning at 10:00 a.m.

- JUNE 3, 9.30 PM: BIG SKIPPERS PARADE

This big parade will take place on the Embankment of Les Sables d'Olonne. It will leave Place de Strasbourg from 9:30 p.m. to go to the Casino des Atlantes. A privileged moment of sharing between the public and the skippers who made them dream during last winter’s times of pandemic and confinement.

The parade is orchestrated by the Maindron Production teams. It will take the form of a parade of street companies and floats on the theme of the four elements: earth, water, fire and air. It will end with a pyromusical show designed by teams of fireworks Jacques Couturier Organization and will be visible from the Grande Plage in Les Sables D'Olonne from 11 p.m.

28 skippers from the Vendée Globe 2020 will be present: Fabrice Amedeo (Newrest - Art&Fenêtres), Romain Attanasio (Pure - Best Western), Alexia Barrier (TSE - 4myPlanet), Yannick Bestaven (Maître CoQ IV), Jérémie Beyou (Charal), Arnaud Boissières (La Mie Câline - Artisans Artipôle), Louis Burton (Bureau Vallée 2), Manu Cousin (Groupe Sétin), Clarisse Crémer (Banque Populaire X), Charlie Dalin (Apivia), Sam Davies (Initiatives-Cœur), Benjamin Dutreux (OMIA - Water Family), Kevin Escoffier (PRB), Clément Giraud (Compagnie du Lit / Jiliti), Pip Hare (Medallia), Ari Huusela (Stark), Isabelle Joschke (MACSF), Stéphane Le Diraison (Time for Oceans), Miranda Merron (Campagne de France), Giancarlo Pedote (Prysmian Group), Alan Roura (La Fabrique), Thomas Ruyant (LinkedOut), Damien Seguin (Groupe Apicil), Kojiro Shiraishi (DMG MORI Global One), Sébastien Simon (Arkéa Paprec), Maxime Sorel (V&B Mayenne), Armel Tripon (L'Occitane en Provence), Nicolas Troussel (Corum l'Épargne).

- JUNE 4, 10:00 AM: OPENING OF THE DEPARTURE VILLAGE

At 10 a.m. the gates of the start village will open in Port-Olona. Access to the village is free. It will remain open throughout the duration of the race, until Sunday June 26, the date of the prize giving, with the exception of June 13 and 14.

The festivities will be in full swing, offering many activities, between entertainment and discovery, during the three weeks in the village. The space of the Department of Vendée will host an exhibition highlighting the skippers, the race, its course and the trappings of Vendée, land of sailing. A giant photographic exhibition will present the pictures of explorer-photographer Florian Ledoux. Under the Pole will share images of its scientific expeditions and the equipment used, including its underwater capsule. A 200m2 synthetic ice rink, Virtual Regatta Inshore challenges open to the public and, from June 15, remote-controlled sailboat races and a waterball challenge will be part of the entertainment on offer.

More information on the program of the village

- JUNE 4, 5:30 p.m.: THE RUNS

This Saturday, exhibition runs will take place in Baie des Sables with the skippers. In turn, the IMOCAs will take to the track. Over a distance to be covered determined according to the angle of the wind and its direction, the skippers will challenge the stopwatch in turn, trying to set the best time during one of their two authorized runs. The public will be able to watch the challenge from the Grande Plage in Les Sables d'Olonne.

These Runs will be commented on live on the village of the event with the rankings of the time trials displayed in real time on the big screen, but also accessible on the website of the race.

- SATURDAY 4 JUNE, 9.30 p.m.: PRESENTATION OF THE SKIPPERS

At the end of the Runs, the village stage will welcome the 25 skippers for a presentation to the public around 9:30 p.m.

MEMO - ARCTIC VENDÉE – LES SABLES D’OLONNE

THE COURSE

THE 25 SKIPPERS

THE WEATHER

QUALIFICATION CALENDAR FOR THE 2024 VENDÉE GLOBE