By
Rebecca Gibson |
Nine ocean cruise ships and 18 river cruise vessels will attend the 2019 Rouen Armada event, which will take place in Rouen, Normandy from 6-16 June and coincide with the 75th anniversary of the D-Day Landings.
Around seven million people are expected to attend the free Rouen Armada, which was first held in July 1989 as a tall ships festival to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the French Revolution. Rouen has hosted the event every five to six years since then, with the last being in 2013.
This year, Azamara Club Cruises’ Azamara Journey will berth in the centre of Rouen for three days, while Cruise & Maritime Voyages’ Marco Polo, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises’ Europa and 18 river vessels will also visit the city. A further six ocean cruise vessels will dock at the Honfleur terminal along the River Seine estuary. Large sailing ships and national navy vessels will also be in Rouen until the end of the event.
Highlights of the event will include fireworks displays, live concerts, exhibitions, and activities and stalls selling international cuisine on the quayside. The event will conclude with a Grand Parade, where all of the vessels will depart Rouen and embark on a 120-kilometre trip along the River Seine to Le Havre on the Normandy coast. The Patrouille de France air force will fly over the ships as they sail down the Seine in front of more than one million spectators.