Old Port of Marseille hosts Sea Festival on 18 October

Old Port of Marseille (Vieux-Port de Marseille) will host part of Marseille’s Fête de la Mer on 18 October 2026, linking the historic harbour with a day of maritime activities along the coast. The programme runs across France’s Mediterranean city from Corbière to Pointe Rouge.

The event gives travellers a specific reason to visit the waterfront in October 2026, with public activities centred on boats, harbour history, marine traditions and protection of the Mediterranean.

Fête de la Mer brings boats and heritage to the harbour

The City of Marseille has scheduled the Fête de la Mer for Sunday 18 October 2026, from 10am to 6pm. Its programme covers eight coastal stops and more than 40 activities, with the Old Port listed as a principal location. The city describes the event as a partnership with maritime associations and the Marseille Tourist Office.

At the harbour’s Quai d’Honneur, the programme includes traditional boat trips, a nautical parade and sailing activities. A participatory theatre performance is planned aboard the seagoing vessel Kantren, while a marine biodiversity stand will run on the quayside. The official Fête de la Mer programme also lists a guided walking tour about the history of the port.

The wider day extends beyond the harbour. Activities at other stops include water sports, talks, coastal clean-up initiatives, traditional boats and environmental workshops. The tourist board says that La Largade, a sailing-ship parade, is planned from noon to 4pm along the Corniche Kennedy towards L’Estaque.

Old Port history gives the festival its setting

The harbour is the historic cradle of Marseille. According to the city’s tourist office, Greek settlers founded Massalia here more than 2,600 years ago, establishing the port as the centre of a city that later developed under Roman and medieval names. The harbour opens towards the Mediterranean and is surrounded by limestone hills.

Fort Saint-Nicolas and Fort Saint-Jean have guarded the entrance since the seventeenth century. The quays were substantially redeveloped in 2013, when traffic was reduced and the Ombrière designed by Norman Foster was added. The tourist office history of the Old Port records how the regeneration combined the working harbour’s long history with its present role as a social and cultural centre.

That history shapes the October programme: the festival’s guided harbour walk, traditional boats and sailing parade use the same waterfront that served as Marseille’s gateway to the Mediterranean for centuries. Visitors therefore encounter both a working maritime setting and a public programme about its heritage.

Visiting Old Port of Marseille: what travellers from Western Europe should know

• The City of Marseille schedules the Fête de la Mer for 18 October 2026, from 10am to 6pm, with activities at the Old Port’s Quai d’Honneur.
• The Old Port programme includes traditional boat trips, a nautical parade, a marine biodiversity stand and a guided walking tour about the port’s history.
• The harbour lies on Marseille’s Mediterranean waterfront, with the Quai d’Honneur programme connected to the wider coastal route from Corbière to Pointe Rouge.
• Some activities involve boarding a moored boat, climbing a ladder into the Kantren or moving between quays, so the programme requires attention to the individual access notes.

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Frequently asked questions about Old Port of Marseille

When does the Fête de la Mer take place at Old Port of Marseille?

The Fête de la Mer takes place on 18 October 2026, with the city programme running from 10am to 6pm.

What is planned at Old Port of Marseille?

The programme includes traditional boat trips, a nautical parade, a biodiversity stand and a guided walk about the harbour’s history.

Where is Old Port of Marseille and how do you get there?

It is on Marseille’s Mediterranean waterfront, with the event programme focused on the Quai d’Honneur and linked coastal locations from Corbière to Pointe Rouge.