Grande Marée

Grande Marée: The Street Arts Festival on the Saint-Nazaire Seafront

Grande Marée is a free and popular cultural event born in 2002 on the initiative of Le Théâtre – scène nationale de Saint-Nazaire and the association Les Escales, with the support of the City of Saint-Nazaire. Every first Saturday of June, the seafront, from the green space of Sautron to the beach of Villès-Martin, transforms into a vast festival and performance area for the whole family.

An Eclectic and Free Artistic Program

The Grande Marée program is put together jointly by Le Théâtre and Les Escales. Each edition hosts about ten street arts companies from all over France, offering performances combining circus, dance, street theatre, acrobatics, clowning, giant puppets, and brass bands. Poetry and humor blend to invite young and old to dream and escape. The entire program is completely free and accessible to all.

A Festive Flow from Afternoon to Midnight

The event unfolds in two parts. In the afternoon, the Sautron green space hosts family activities: children's dance, creative workshops, inflatable structures, circus and dance initiations. From 6 PM, the festival moves to the seafront and Villès-Martin beach with street performances, roaming brass bands, and big bands from the Conservatoire de Saint-Nazaire. The evening culminates with a concert on the beach and the traditional giant picnic that brings together thousands of locals facing the ocean.

Over Twenty Years of Popular Celebration

Since its first edition in 2003, Grande Marée has grown to become a must-attend event on the Saint-Nazaire cultural calendar. The event celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2024 with an exceptional anniversary edition featuring ten artistic companies, a children's dance choreographed by the trio Amañ with 2,000 students, and a closing concert by the Beninese group BIM (Bénin International Musical). Over the years, Grande Marée has hosted renowned street arts companies: Cie Kiaï (trampoline and acrobatics), Cie La Migration (circus and dance), Cie Le Dénouement Qu'on Voudrait, Cie Joe Sature, Cie Système B, as well as brass bands like Olaïtan and the Conservatoire's big bands.

An Event Accessible to All

Grande Marée is accessible to people with disabilities: motor, hearing, visual, and mental disabilities. The event is completely free and open to all audiences, from the youngest to the oldest. Food and drink stalls are available on site to accompany the traditional giant picnic on the beach.