Last weekend, we stumbled upon Le Havre’s annual maritime festival!
All photos by Yu Xuan Neo and Syontoni Hattori-Chatterjee.
9 September 2024
After our brunch at Brunch & Bowl, we were drawn towards the bustling street lined with dozens of booths. It was the annual La Fête de la Mer organized every first weekend of September in Le Havre!
So what is this exactly?
According to Bee Le Havre, it is meant to “celebrate the sea through multiple animations.” Seafarers, merchants, port workers — basically anyone in the maritime world comes together to celebrate the festival. This is a key event in Le Havre (a port city, as we all know): the sea is its lifeblood.
Entry 1: Yu Xuan – The Forbidden Babymobiles
The first thing that caught my eye were the adorable sea-themed babymobiles that were hand-made and crocheted.
P.S. I wanted to buy one really badly, but they said it was only meant for decoration purposes for their workshop 😦
The fête sold absolutely everything you can think of, ranging from crystals, pastries to even spices: we paused at every booth to admire their products. I couldn’t help but appreciate how the constant flow of people and the happy chatter around us injected so much life into our little city!
Entry 2: Sy – Spicy Pirates
Speaking of spices, shout out to the nice man at the spice booth who saw our wandering eyes and let us try some fun ones for free. Sesame seeds flavored with prune umeboshi made me think of my aunt’s house and sesame flavored with kimchi reminded me to make a quick trip to Hoa Soung (RIP but not RIP if you’ve been keeping up with LDD’s other articles).
Yu Xuan and I also tried on some pirate hats but decided to go as something a bit less on the nose for Halloween in Le Havre
Entry 3: Sy – Vintage Postcard Tea
As we walked on further, we found a stand with dozens of boxes filled with old postcards from all over France and all over the world. We rifled through tabs from Toulouse to Saint-Lo and found that they were not merely vintage keepsakes, but actual postcards that people had written in and sent to their loved ones decades ago. I could have spent forever at that booth, perusing gorgeous illustrations and black and white photographs of French and world landmarks and then reading glimpses into the everyday lives of the people who visited them. From sweet messages to siblings, passionate letters to lovers, and cheeky notes to friends, the nosy drama lover and journalist in me certainly got her fill of old-timey tea.
Entry 3: Yu Xuan and Sy – Buttery Brittany Deliciousness
Y: We also chanced upon Elise, who introduced us to the famously buttery Brittany delicacy Kouign Amann sold in the fête! We were won over immediately and RUSHED to cop some to share!
S: I brought mine to a dinner with friends that night and it was a massive hit. Shout out Hotel California for hosting and the great people of Brittany for making a pastry that tastes as close as possible to literally just eating butter.
Entry 4: Sy – Mini Boats, Mini Boat Cars, and Houses With Feet
Next, the swashbuckling sound of seafaring music drew us to the LH Port Center stalls. First, we took a moment to watch the motorized mini boat races in the pool next door (go Canada!) Then, Yu Xuan and I excitedly waited for an opportunity to get into a mini boat on wheels and ride though the maze showcasing countries along worldwide shipping lanes. Unfortunately, we discovered that despite our childlike height, we were too old to partake in this activity designed for children. And yes, it was embarrassing to ask about it and get turned down. Nevertheless, I overcame this L and had a nice conversation with an LH Port Center intern and the director about their upcoming public reopening in November. For kid-friendly and more adult-oriented programs to discover the industrial portuary activities that dominate our city, I highly recommend going to check them out.
A bit further along, we gazed amusedly at a new Un Été au Havre sculpture. Since 2017 when Le Havre celebrated 500 years since its founding, the city has sponsored new public art installations every summer to bring new charm, character, and occasionally confusion to its streets. Fan favorites remain in Le Havre once the few months of sun has passed, such as La Catène de Containers and my personal favorite, the Narrow House. What do we think of this one: does it really have “No Reason To Move”?
Entry 5: Yu Xuan and Sy – Snack Time!
Y: As we walked further into the street, we bought some carrot fritters to share from the stand dedicated to Culture Antillaise! They were priced at 2 euros for 6, and they were fried to perfection. Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, they were the perfect midday snack! It kept us warm as we wandered through the light breeze.
S: We also chanced upon a booth for Le Havre’s Polynesian and Tahitian culture association. They had more yummy treats as well as handmade dolls. They told us about the dance and singing workshops they conduct for their members and the community they build for Polynesian students in Le Havre and people interested in Tahiti and Polynesia.
Entry 6: Yu Xuan – Diving Into Le Havre Associations
Afterwards, we approached a diving booth. The booth was decorated with colorful pictures, and it even included a documentation of weekend diving explorations in one of Belgium’s reworked diving basins called Todi. Apparently, it was an old mining silo, and eventually, a whole ecoSEAStem (haha) grew there, with fishes of varying shades of the rainbow. Enraptured by the pictures, I asked for more information. As they told me, they offer bi-weekly diving sessions in Le Havre, on Wednesdays and Saturdays! There were 2 types of diving sports that they offered — one was plongée; while the other was more professional (training one’s holding of breath underwater). For a year-long subscription for their diving equipment and diving lessons (fromSeptember to June) held in the Piscine de la Mare Rouge, it was approximately 210 euros in total. Definitely an unusual but unique hobby!
Entry 7: Yu Xuan – Friendly Fisherman
Nearby, there was a long stretch of stands that were bustling with life, which seemed to belong to the same association. Intrigued, we walked closer and we found that it was a LH fishing association. The fishermen proudly displayed their array of pictures — including the terrible looking dorade fish. I was especially impressed by their passion and welcoming spirit, as they were trying their best to communicate in English with me due to my dismal French skills. They sat us down, while demonstrating in real time how they fish, what kinds of specialized hooks they use, and displaying their different kinds of hooks. How fitting it was that they gave us goldfish biscuits to snack on! Pushing dozens of fishing brochures to us before we left, we walked away with our arms (and hearts) full.
Entry 8: Yu Xuan – Sciences Po Sailors
Lastly, we found ourselves in a navy booth! My eyes were drawn to the TV screen and the Augmented Reality Headset. It was an AR experience where you get to go into the augmented navy ship, experience flying on its helicopters, boating on the ferries, and exploring the ship. I could’ve sworn I felt the wind blow as the helicopter that I “was on” took off! It was a surreal experience and I loved every bit of it. While I was trying on the AR set, Syontoni had a chat with the navy officer manning the booth, and that was when we found out that he was Baptiste, a senior from SciencesPo Le Havre! He’s currently pursuing his Masters at SciencesPo in Paris, and he was back in Le Havre to reminisce about his parcours civique experience that took place in the navy.
In conclusion, we had an amazing afternoon exploring La Fête de la Mer and learning more about all of the maritime activities and cultures that the city of Le Havre has to offer. We hope you enjoyed our diary entries and for 1As that they might have convinced you to check it out next year!
Bisous,
Yu Xuan and Sy
Le Dragon Déchaîné 