Nine solo skippers are preparing to head north toward the Arctic Circle from Les Sables d'Olonne this weekend, taking on the Vendée Arctique, the first qualifying race on the road to the 2028 Vendée Globe. France's Atlantic coast is gearing up for a send-off that matches the scale of the challenge ahead.
The departure village spreads across the esplanade from 29 May through 7 June, filling the waterfront with the sights and sounds of offshore sailing culture. At 0330 NZST on 30 May, a thousand drones will light up the sky above Grande Plage. Organisers shifted the display forward by a day after spotting a heavy wind forecast for Saturday and moving quickly to protect the evening show.
The programme across the week is packed. Live concerts and DJ sets feature Pfel and Greem, formerly of C2C, while a documentary about Violette Dorange's 2024 Vendée Globe campaign, titled "Devenir," is screened for the public. The pontoons open for spectator access, giving visitors a close look at final crew preparations. Saturday 30 May sees the public village open at 1000 NZST (31 May), with skipper presentations at 1200 NZST and a signing session from 1515 NZST.
A women's sailing evening on Thursday 4 June brings together Elodie Bonafous, Francesca Clapcich, Violette Dorange, and Sam Davies, with the Alice Milliat Foundation also participating ahead of an outdoor screening. Sunday 31 May is designated Solidarity Day, drawing attention to the charitable causes each skipper carries into the race, with a jumble sale raising proceeds for the SNSM rescue service. World Environment Day on 5 June adds further purpose to the programme, with beach cleanups and a climate conference in partnership with Plastic Odyssey.
The Arctic framing of the race runs through the village experience itself. Photographer Florian Ledoux's exhibition of polar imagery anchors an immersive space for families, while scientific and environmental organisations including IFREMER, the Polar Institute, Under The Pole, and ocean protection groups are embedded across the site, connecting the racing spectacle to real ongoing work around climate risk and ocean health.
On Sunday 7 June the nine skippers will begin their ceremonial passage through the Vendée Globe channel at 1030 NZST, with the official start gun sounding at 1502 NZST. From that moment each boat heads out alone and unassisted across 3,500 nm of open ocean toward the Arctic Circle. The departure will be shown live on the village's giant screen and broadcast across digital platforms. After ten days of concerts, crowds, and colour, the fleet will stretch out toward the northern horizon and Les Sables d'Olonne will settle back into quiet.
