Temps Fête – A Grand Celebration of Maritime Heritage

25 July 2018

Douarnenez, France – 25 – 29^th July

This year Temps Fête embarks on its fourth decade, marking the 31^st edition of the event which started back in 1979 when the regional federation of maritime culture got together with the objective of rehabilitating their maritime heritage. With the support of nautical magazine Chasse-marée, by 1986 Douarnenez was able to see its first big event which was a resounding success with the public, delighted to discover a cultural heritage that had all but been forgotten. Various projects sprung up including a boat museum – now the delightful Port-Musée – and a series of construction and renovation projects, restoring traditional boats.

Since then, associations and individual owners have maintained and sailed these traditional vessels and some wish to go further than simply using the boats for tourist purposes; reestablishing the activity of transport by sail. This then is one of the themes of this 2018 edition.

Since 1986, every two years, up to a thousand boats and close to 100,000 visitors flock to Douarnenez to take part in this fantastic popular festival, renamed in 1998 as “Temps Fête”. Organisers have surpassed themselves each time with captivating the public with a whole series of quality acts and artistic and musical performances.