80th anniversary of the Provence landings

August 15, 1944, the date of the Allied landings in Provence, holds a special significance for Saint-Raphaël. To commemorate this event, the town is organizing a festive and patriotic week from August 10 to 18, 2024.

This exceptional 9,000 m² site, decked out in the colors of France and the United States, is the focal point of the festivities. Open from August 10 to 18, starting at 10:00 am.

Programme

In a spirit of intergenerational sharing, numerous large-scale events, accessible to all, will be held over the eight days.

Saturday, August 10 - Esplanade du Débarquement

Saturday August 10 marks the launch of this festive week paying tribute to all those who fought for France and took part in the Provence Landings.

• 6:00 pm > Scène Pinède: Swing concert - “Swing Patrol” band
  Vibrate to the lively rhythm of swing with the talented “Swing Patrol” group, performing standards by Glenn Miller, Louis Armstrong and Louis Prima

• [HIGHLIGHT] 7:00 pm > Village Center: Inauguration of the village, official launch of the town book, laying of the foundation stone for the museum space
  The town of Saint-Raphaël will inaugurate the village that will host the week's festivities. The occasion will also be marked by the official launch of the book “1939 - 1945, Saint-Raphaël dans la guerre et le Débarquement de Provence” and the laying of the foundation stone for the future museum

• 8.00 pm > Main Stage: Grand Opening Concert - The PIAF Years
  Costumed dancers and entertainers bring back the greatest hits of the era, with covers by Patricia Grillo and Dominique Dellepiani

Sunday, August 11 - Esplanade du Débarquement

• 6.00 pm > Pinewood Stage: Concert
  Start your evening with an exceptional concert that will captivate you from the very first notes

• [HIGHLIGHT] 9:30 pm > Grande Scène: Swing concert - “DANY DORIZ SWING SHOW” from Caveau de la Huchette, a jazz club in Paris
  The mood is set to rise again with this show that plunges you into the effervescent world of swing

Monday, August 12

• 6:00 pm to 11:00 pm on the Esplanade du Débarquement > Scène Pinède: Big musical evening
  Experience a magical evening of timeless jazz and blues classics, performed by exceptional talents such as Sylvia Howard, Douce France and Big Band Americana. Saxophone, guitar, drums and trumpets will be there

• [HIGHLIGHT] 8:30 pm on the Plage du Débarquement > Scène Plage: Conference "Paris brûle-t-il ? et La Grande Vadrouille. Des larmes et des rires" (“Is Paris burning? and La Grande Vadrouille. Tears and laughter”)
  This musical conference, written and presented by historian and writer Cécile Berly, under the musical direction of composer and orchestrator Jean-Jacques Charles, looks back at the history of two films released in post-war France: “Paris brûle-t-il?" and "La Grande Vadrouille" ("The Great Wanderer"). The narrative is built around sound and visual extracts from these two mythical works, punctuated by their respective genesis and the place they rightfully occupy in French national history. A lecture between history and cinema, between tears and laughter.

• [HIGHLIGHT] 9:45 pm on the Plage du Débarquement > Scène Plage: Screening of “La Grande Vadrouille”
  Fans of Louis de Funès, come and discover Gérard Oury's film, a blend of history and humor

Tuesday, August 13 - Esplanade du Débarquement

• 6:00 pm > Pine Grove Stage: Blues and Boogie-Woogie concerts - CECILYA AND THE CANDY KINGS followed by the Belgian band PHIL BOOGIE AND THE SWING DEVILS
  Discover Blues and Boogie-Woogie before letting yourself be carried away by the energy of the Belgian band, number 1 in this style in Belgium

• [HIGHLIGHT] 9:30 pm > Main Stage: Andrews Sister D-Day Ladies tribute concert
  Eight musicians and three singers in costume will take you back to the atmosphere of the Liberation Ball

Wednesday, August 14

All day on the Esplanade du Débarquement: Children's Festival

• 6:00 pm on the Esplanade du Débarquement > Scène Pinède: swing show for young audiences
  Anna Stevens will share her passion for swing with young audiences

• [HIGHLIGHT] 6:30 pm at the Anthéor Viaduct: Patriotic ceremony
  Wednesday August 14 marks the start of the official commemorations with a ceremony at the Anthéor Viaduct. This emblematic monument of Saint-Raphaël was a strategic site of great importance during the Second World War, and was bombed on numerous occasions

• 7:00 pm on the Esplanade du Débarquement > Scène Pinède: Concert Duo Swing piano-voice - Anna Stevens and a pianist
  Let yourself be enchanted by the swing duo of Anna Stevens accompanied by a pianist for an elegant piano-voice performance

• [HIGHLIGHT] 8:30 pm on the Esplanade du Débarquement > Grande Scène: Lecture by Michel Chevalet and screening of a documentary film
  Michel Chevalet, a graduate in applied mathematics, science journalist, producer and director, will look back at all the logistics involved in the Provence landings. A real strategic and, above all, material challenge, unique in the world

• 10:00 pm on the Esplanade du Débarquement > Grande Scène: Cabaret show
  From java to rock'n'roll, from guinguettes to jazz clubs, from Piaf to Presley. End the evening in style with a vibrant cabaret show that will take you on a journey through musical genres, for an unforgettable experience

Thursday August 15

• [HIGHLIGHT] 11:00 am on the Esplanade du Débarquement: Grand ceremony to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Provence landings
  This exceptional patriotic ceremony will be held on the Esplanade du Débarquement. It will take place in the presence of the 36th Texas Infantry Division, just a few meters from the beach where this unit landed 80 years ago

• 3:30 pm Seaside/town center: Departure from the Esplanade du Dramont - Parade organized by the Association Raphaëloise de la 36e Division from Texas
  The Dramont association will offer you the pleasure of seeing period vehicles and costumes

• [HIGHLIGHT] 7:00 pm Seaside/town center: Marching band of the 36th Texas Division from Austin
  Come and discover the exceptional parade proposed by the 36th Texas Division, coming specially for this event from Austin, USA, the same division that landed in Saint-Raphaël 80 years ago

• [HIGHLIGHT] 8:30 pm on the Esplanade de l'Hôtel Mercure: Grand Liberation Ball
  The Grand Bal de la Libération will be an exceptional moment of the evening. More than 16 artists will perform a unique show. French cancan, light show and many surprises await you to celebrate this 80th anniversary in style

• [HIGHLIGHT] 10:30 pm Seaside/town center: Sound fireworks display
  The sky will shine with a thousand lights to continue dazzling visitors. A high-flying pyrotechnic show

• 11:00 pm on the Esplanade de l'Hôtel Mercure: DJ Set
  The Liberation evening continues with an unforgettable DJ Set

Friday, August 16 - Esplanade du Débarquement

• [HIGHLIGHT] 6:00 pm > Pine Grove Stage: Guinguette moderne - “Le bal des gens bien” (The Ball of Nice People)
  With their original covers of hits from the 1930s to the present day, this group brings all generations together in a guinguette that's both retro and modern, joyful and nostalgic

• 8:00 pm > Pine Grove Stage: DJ Groove Garden
  Join us on the dancefloor with a breathtaking DJ show that will keep you dancing all night long to the rhythm of top hits and wild mixes

• [HIGHLIGHT] 10:30 pm > Esplanade/Plage du Débarquement: Fireworks display
  A new pyrotechnic spectacle to be admired from the Dramont, with the Ile d'Or as a postcard backdrop

• [HIGHLIGHT] 11:00 pm > Grande Scène: Concert in the footsteps of our liberators
  The Aud&Show orchestra is a veritable reference in this field, and is sure to delight your eyes and ears

Saturday, August 17

• 6:00 pm on the Esplanade du Débarquement > Scène Pinède: DJ set
  Spend the evening with a DJ who will immediately get you in the mood with catchy rhythms

• [HIGHLIGHT] 9:30 pm in the Agora of the Palais des Congrès: Historic and grandiose concert by the 36th Texas Infantry Division
  The 36th Texas Infantry Division and their musicians from Austin promise an unforgettable show. Tickets at the Cultural Center and the Landings Village reception

Sunday, August 18 - Esplanade du Débarquement

• 6:00 pm > Pine Grove Stage: DJ Set
  Start your evening with a captivating DJ, whose infectious energy will seduce you from the very first notes

• [HIGHLIGHT] 9:00 pm > Main Stage: Film-show “Maquisards” Les amis d'Espigoule
  This show tells the extraordinary story of Maquis Vallier, the most important Maquis in the Var during the Second World War

Exhibitions at the Landings Village 

To find out more about the Provence Landings and the history of the Second World War, four exhibitions are on display from August 10 to 18, 2024.

The Landings Marine Cemetery: shipwrecks from the war and the landings in Provence

The exhibition, organized by the Archeological Museum, features relics of the Provence landings, including minesweepers, the landing barge, amphibious trucks and some mythical shipwrecks. These shipwrecks bear witness to the fate of thousands of men who came to liberate Europe.

Archive exhibition

This exhibition will focus on the lives of Raphaël residents during the Second World War. Documents from the public collections held by the Archives, as well as from the “Collecte de la Mémoire Raphaëloise 1939-1945” project, and eyewitness accounts, will take us back in time to discover the Saint-Raphaël of the Second World War years.

Anvil Dragoon

Starting on July 3 at the Micro-Folie Digital Museum, the exhibition will move to the Esplanade du Débarquement from August 10 to 18, 2024. A selection of never-before-seen photographs, videos and testimonials from the municipal and US-American archives invites the public to take another look at this historic event. The exhibition places people, their emotions and their environment at the heart of its approach, weaving together history and individual memory.