Grande Marée
Free street performances on the Saint-Nazaire seafront
2026
About Grande Marée
Grande Marée — edition 2026
The 22nd edition of Grande Marée will take place on Saturday, June 6, 2026, from 3:30 PM to midnight, on the Saint-Nazaire seafront between the Sautron green space, Place Neptune, and Villès-Martin beach. Entirely free, the 2026 edition highlights circus arts with a program featuring brass bands, magic, puppet theater, dances, and a grand final pyrotechnic show on the beach.
Grande Marée 2026: 22nd edition featuring circus, brass bands, and street arts
On Saturday, June 6, 2026, Grande Marée kicks off the summer in Saint-Nazaire for the 22nd time. From 3:30 PM to midnight, the Saint-Nazaire seafront — from the Sautron green space to Place Neptune and Villès-Martin beach — transforms into a large open-air stage, entirely free and accessible to all audiences.
A circus theme for the 2026 edition
Co-organized by the City of Saint-Nazaire, Le Théâtre – scène nationale, and the Les Escales association, this new edition honors the circus with a majority of invited circus companies, alongside brass bands, puppet theater, magic, and dances. The public is invited to wander between shows and bring their picnic for the traditional grand giant meal on the beach.
The afternoon: children's dance and brass bands
From 3:30 PM, Place Neptune hosts the Children's Dance animated by Trio Amañ, featuring traditional dances blending folk, Celtic, and world music. From 5 PM, the Mortal Combo brass band takes over the seafront with its energetic street sextet combining brass, saxophones, electric guitar, and portable drums.
The evening: acrobatic dance, big band, and itinerant shows
From 5:45 PM to 8:15 PM, Compagnie Système B presents L'arbre à danser on Villès-Martin beach, a spectacular dance combining local musical ensembles and residents of the area. The big band of the Saint-Nazaire Conservatory follows with Dancing in the Street on Place Neptune in two sets (7:45 PM and 8:25 PM), exploring swing, disco, R'n'B, mambo, and techno. From 8:15 PM, the seafront fills with itinerant shows: puppets from Ruby Box Theater, magic and close-up by Alexandre Fourchon, percussion from Table musique.
Grand final show on the beach
At 10:30 PM, Compagnie Remue Ménage concludes the evening with La Belle Illusion on Villès-Martin beach: an acrobatic ballet that blends dance, aerial straps, fire juggling, and circus arts, under the Saint-Nazaire summer sky. The giant picnic, associative food stalls, and refreshment stands accompany the entire evening.
Access and adapted transport
For this 2026 edition, STRAN network line 5 serves the site until 10 PM, supplemented by two «Hélyce by Night» buses at midnight to facilitate return. Free bicycle parking facilities are deployed around the site.
Highlights Grande Marée 2026
- 22nd edition of Grande Marée, Saturday, June 6, 2026, from 3:30 PM to midnight
- Circus-themed edition with invited companies (Cie Système B, Cie Remue Ménage)
- Grand final pyrotechnic show La Belle Illusion on the beach at 10:30 PM
- Children's Dance with Trio Amañ at Place Neptune from 3:30 PM
- Mortal Combo Brass Band and Conservatory big band performing itinerantly
- Giant picnic on Villès-Martin beach, associative stalls (€1–€12)
- Completely free · STRAN line 5 until 10 PM, Hélyce by Night at midnight
Programme Grande Marée 2026
Saturday, June 6, 2026 — detailed program
- 3:30 PM – 5 PM — Children's Dance by Trio Amañ · Place Neptune. Traditional dances blending folk, Celtic, and world music, for families.
- 5 PM – 5:45 PM and 9 PM – 9:45 PM — Mortal Combo Brass Band · Seafront. Energetic street sextet: brass, saxophones, electric guitar, portable drums.
- 5:45 PM – 8:15 PM — L'arbre à danser by Compagnie Système B · Villès-Martin Beach. Spectacular dance with local musical ensembles and residents, the result of a shared creation with the territory.
- 7:45 PM – 8:05 PM and 8:25 PM – 8:55 PM — Dancing in the Street by the Saint-Nazaire Conservatory big band · Place Neptune. Dance music: swing, disco, R'n'B, mambo, techno.
- 8:15 PM – 10 PM — Itinerant shows on the seafront :
- Ruby Box Theater — puppet theater.
- Alexandre Fourchon — magic and close-up.
- Table musique — itinerant percussion performance.
- 10:30 PM – 11:20 PM — La Belle Illusion by Compagnie Remue Ménage · Villès-Martin Beach. Grand final show: acrobatic ballet blending dance, aerial straps, fire juggling, and circus arts.
Throughout the event: giant picnic on the beach, associative food stalls (savory, sweet, drinks, prices €1–€12), refreshment stands.
Prices Grande Marée 2026
Grande Marée — 2027 edition
The 2026 edition was held on 6 June 2026. The dates for the 2027 edition have not been announced yet. This page will be updated as soon as the official programme is published.
Practical information — Grande Marée
Access to Grande Marée
By Car
From Nantes, take the RN171 towards Saint-Nazaire (approx. 1 hour). The Villès-Martin seafront is located along boulevard Albert Ier and boulevard de l'Océan. Parking is available near the seafront and the Sautron green space.
By Train
Saint-Nazaire station is served by TER Pays de la Loire from Nantes (45 min), Le Croisic, and La Baule. The Villès-Martin seafront is about a 25-minute walk from the station or accessible by the urban bus network.
By Bus
The STRAN network (urban transport of CARENE – Saint-Nazaire Agglomération) serves the seafront. Consult the website stran.fr for schedules and routes.
Hours
Grande Marée takes place on the first Saturday of June, from 3 PM to midnight. The afternoon (3 PM-6 PM) is dedicated to family activities in the Sautron green space. Street performances and concerts start at 6 PM on the seafront and Villès-Martin beach.
Price
Completely free entry for all performances and activities.
Food & Drink
Bars and food stalls are available on site. Visitors are invited to bring their own picnic to enjoy the traditional giant picnic on Villès-Martin beach.
Contact
Le Théâtre – scène nationale de Saint-Nazaire
Phone: 02 40 22 91 36
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.letheatre-saintnazaire.fr
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.
Where does it take place — Grande Marée
Grande Marée in brief
Other festivals near Saint-Nazaire
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