These twenty personalities who made the news in Caen in 2024

See my news
Follow Liberté Caen

The year 2024 was full of events in Caen (Calvados) and its surrounding area. Between 80ᵉ D-Day, elections more or less anticipated, passage of the Olympic flameetc., twenty personalities have had the opportunity to distinguish themselves over the last twelve months. The writing of Liberty Caen reviews them.

Policy

1. Lucie Castets

Economist and senior civil servant, Lucie Castets worked at the Treasury and Tracfin, before heading the finances of the City of Paris. At the end of July, after the early legislative elections, she was nominated as a candidate by the New Popular Front for the post of Prime Minister. In vain.

2. Emma Fourreau

Candidate of La France Insoumise, Emma Fourreau was elected MEP in June. In the process, she ran for legislative elections in the Caen West constituency with a program centered on social justice, ecology and the defense of youth rights, without being elected. At the end of the year, she mobilized for the release of environmental activist Paul Watson.

3. Aristide Olivier

Aristide Olivier was elected mayor of Caen in the summer after taking over from Joël Bruneau, who became a deputy. Former president of the Caen Tennis Club, and great instigator of the Caen Open, he was then first deputy at the town hall.

Aged 43, he has been elected for 10 years in Caen, having notably been deputy for sports and youth, before taking on the mayor’s sash in mid-July.

Television

4. Aurélien Berry

Aurélien Berry stood out at the start of the year on France 2 in the game Everyone wants to take their place. Alongside host Jarry, the Caen champion put together an impressive series of 44 victories to stay in the red chair. A big fan of SM Caen, the history and geography teacher pocketed more than €30,000, joining the Top 30 of the show’s greatest champions.

5. Pierre Garnier

Norman singer who revealed himself in the TF1 talent show Star AcademyPierre Garnier immediately exploded in the eyes of the general public this year. Originally from Villedieu-les-Poêles (Manche), then studying in Caen, he marked 2024 with his title Those we wereco-written with Josef Kamel from Caen. He is launching a tour with already two Zéniths in Caen in 2025, on March 25 and June 11.

6. Romain Gibon

Competition candidate The Best Pastry Chef on M6, this salesman at the Feuillette bakery, in Mondeville, won over viewers with his creativity and talent. Romain Gibon impressed the jury with creations inspired by Normandy, such as cake beach huts.

80ᵉ D-Day

7. Virginie Durr

Living in the United States and employed by Delta Airlines, Caen native Virginie Durr allowed 50 veterans to come to the D-Day beaches during the 80th anniversary in early June.

They went to the ends of the earth to liberate a country that was not theirs. When they come to Normandy, they are a bit like the Rolling Stones! Normandy has not forgotten them.

8. Arlette Gondree

Aged 84, Arlette Gondrée, at the head of the eponymous café located at the Pegasus bridge in Bénouville, was rewarded with the medal of merit for her exceptional commitment in October. Known for her important role during the events of the D-Day landings of 1944, she experienced the horrors of war while embodying courage and resilience.

Research and innovation

9. Alicia Bruzos

Researcher at the University of Caen, Alicia Bruzos studies transmissible cancers in shellfish, to better understand how metastases develop. She won the L’Oréal-Unesco Young Talents Prize for her innovative research.

10. Sébastien Rolo

Adopted from Normandy for 30 years, Stéphane Rolo seeks to revolutionize the automotive world by proposing a completely new concept: transforming thermal Renault Twingos into electric ones. Stéphane Rolo is sure: the car of tomorrow has already been built! His company Lormauto is based in Argences near Caen.

Arts et spectacles

11. Harold Barbé

Caen comedian, Harold Barbé made an impression with his interventions on France Inter, where he manages to combine humor and reflection on current events. He also became the first comedian scheduled for the Hellfest metal festival in June in Clisson.

12. Jean-Claude Gandur

Swiss billionaire and art collector Jean-Claude Gandur chose Caen to build a museum housing his prestigious art and antiquities collections. This museum, which should open in 2030 near the Caen Memorial, aims to become a major cultural center in Europe. An investment of nearly €30 million for its construction near the Memorial has been announced.

13. Thomas Jolly

Thomas Jolly will remember his year 2024 for a long time. Artistic director of the opening and closing ceremonies of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Thomas Jolly, born in Rouen, studied theater in Caen in the early 2000s. Formerly with the company Actéa in Caen, this recognized director has managed to combine his love of theater and his innovative vision of major ceremonies. Nearly 59 million French viewers followed the four Olympic and Paralympic ceremonies that he orchestrated.

14. Jyeuhair

Originally from Caen, went to university, Jyeuhair is a rapper who stood out this year for his appearance in the second season of New School on Netflix. Finalist of the show, he seduced the audience with his authentic style and his powerful texts.

15. Joseph Kamel

Franco-Egyptian singer with a deep voice, the Caen native Joseph Kamel revealed himself with the hits The One Who Leaves and Beau (in duet with Julien Doré). With the album Mirrors and several collaborations, he is preparing a tour marked by a concert at La Cigale in February 2025.

16 & 17. Claire and Paul Lesaulnier / Langeois

The couple of directors of the Beauregard festival have hit it hard again, in this year 2024. From July 3 to 7, the Hérouville castle park welcomed 152,000 festival-goers, with several highlights, including a memorable “Before” with David Guetta . Do you want to do even better in 2025?

18. Nina Meurisse

French actress born in Caen, Nina Meurisse is recognized for her roles in auteur cinema. Discovered at 10 years old in Saint-Cyr, she asserted herself thanks to films like A Life by Stéphane Brizé and Camillewhere she plays photojournalist Camille Lepage. In 2024, she stood out in the series Fevernotably.

19. Alex Saadi

Originally from Caen, Alex Saadi is also director of the Carthage label, specializing in urban Music, one of the five Universal Music France labels. If he’s more of a shadowy man, in February, he wins a Music Victory with Damso. The rapper, who could not be present, entrusted his producer with the responsibility of representing him in the event of victory. It’s done!

20. SoLiCe

2024 will have been a prosperous year for the graffiti artist SoLiCe, with several projects linked with Caen la mer or the Calvados prefecture. Above all, the street art artist from Caen, very little known to the general public, had the honor of lighting the Olympic cauldron at the foot of the town hall, during the passage of the flame on May 30. A beautiful celebration which will remain in the memory of many Caen residents.

Follow all the news from your favorite cities and media by subscribing to Mon Actu.