Free activities in the vicinity
When we’re on vacation, we tend to want to make the most of things and spend more than we would during the rest of the year (restaurants, theme parks, museums, concerts…), which can put a strain on the budget. To remedy this, here are a few good ideas:
Free concerts at La Plaine sur mer all summer long: thanks to the Plain’été festival, you can enjoy a free concert every Wednesday in the Jardin des Lakas.
In Saint-Brévin, with the Côté mer festival, on Wednesdays and Fridays you can discover or rediscover small music groups of all genres (traditional music, rock, blues, variety…) on boulevard de l’Océan, place Henri-Baslé or in downtown Saint-Brevin-les-Pins.
Many of Pornic’s festivals end with music (Festival de la Margat’, Ride in Pornic, etc.).
Shows for children, at La Plaine sur mer, still with the Plain’été festival, every Thursday the municipality offers a show for the youngest of our holidaymakers!
In Saint-Brévin, Thursdays are devoted to street theater and Tuesdays to children’s shows!
For lovers of boats, fishing and seafood, the Margat’ (cuttlefish) festival combines gastronomy and live fishing, with a big competition in the morning and a cleaning demonstration (always very impressive)! The Fête de la Mer combines sea outings, boat gatherings, tastings and music all in one day! Les voiles de tradition is a day dedicated to old riggings (parade at Pornic’s old port). The many mussel festivals held throughout the summer (at La Plaine sur mer plage de Port-Giraud, Château de Pornic, Sainte-Marie plage du Porteau, Tharon-Plage plage du grand marché…) will give you the chance to taste these little treasures fished in the area during a convivial evening often ending with a concert, a ball or even a firework display!
A cultural outing? Off-season, many museums are free on the1st Sunday of the month (for example, in Nantes, the history museum at the Château des ducs de Bretagne, the Nantes art museum, the natural history museum, Jules Verne and the Chronographe). The Performances Street Art festival in Pornic: live ephemeral frescoes in the Salle de la Marine. The Mouv’in Pornic world dance festival(African, Breton, country, hip hop, etc.). If you’re a fan of Breton culture, don’t miss the Fête Celtique de la Saint Gilles in Pornic (bagadou concerts, Breton dance demonstrations, costume parades, tasting of local produce, etc.). If you’re a circus fan, the Clionnades de Pornic will introduce you to this art form through various workshops and street shows. Numerous painting and sculpture exhibitions are also open free of charge all summer long!
All year round, the La Plaine sur mer multimedia library offers free workshops and activities!
Sport in Pornic, with the Ride in Pornic festival, held every year at the beginning of August, where board sports enthusiasts are in for a treat with a wide range of activities and discoveries: from rollerblading to flyboarding, virtual reality demos and street art… and the day ends with a great nautical and musical show!
For those who like to keep their noses in the air, there are plenty of fireworks displays all summer long in the surrounding area (from the Port de la Gravette, you can sometimes see up to 5 or 6 fireworks displays at the same time!In August, don’t miss the International Pyrotechnics Festival in Saint-Brévin. The principle is simple: three fireworks companies from different countries compete against each other in front of a panel of judges, each with the same technical resources, each performing a show lasting around 15 minutes, during which the music and fireworks must be in perfect harmony. Every year, the world’s best pyrotechnicians compete against each other! The Patrouille de France puts on a fantastic 1h30 show every year at the Ailes Bleues airshow in Pornic.
And of course, walking, swimming and fishing are all great free activities for the whole family, as are flea markets, garage sales, jumble sales and craft markets! Don’t hesitate to ask for advice at the campsite reception to find what you’re looking for.