Faced with its slow reconstruction, Brest cannot wait for the end of its renaissance to return to the party path. The city needs dynamism, vitality. A new lease of life which is expressed by the return of pre-war events but also by the creation of new meetings. Among them: the exhibition fair, the first edition of which punctuated the city of Ponant from May 27 to June 5, 1950. Nine years later, the event seems well established and more and more curious people are coming there. . In 1959, Le Télégramme even went so far as to write that this “major demonstration (…) is now part of the history of (the) city. (…) In the effort undertaken to restore to our city this tone and this growth which it still lacks, it will have been of precious assistance. It was undoubtedly not a miraculous cure but it was at least a valuable aid. »
Sorry, carnival and Tour de France
Three years after the creation of the fair, another event in Brest will leave its mark: the Bagpipe Festival, a sort of rebirth of a competition for binious pipers which existed before the First World War. In the 1950s, Le Télégramme devoted large photo pages to the event. From the creation of the festival in 1953 until its end in 1969, each edition is eagerly awaited for its “triumphal march” of the bell ringers. This parade, which goes down the streets of Siam and Jean-Jaurès, attracts “several thousand spectators”, as Le Télégramme specifies in its edition of August 8, 1955. A success which can undoubtedly be explained by the presence of international delegations including folkloric performances take place in the Marcel-Cerdan room in particular.
We will have understood, between the ruins and the buildings under construction, life goes on in Brest. This is also evidenced by the resumption of pardons, the flamboyant carnival parades and the Tour de France. In fact, the Grande Boucle reconnects with the city of Ponant during three editions: 1952 (start city), 1954 and 1958 (stop city). For children, the 1950s rhyme with “nice summer camps”. Near Brest, as everywhere in France, they are becoming a major social phenomenon.
Like that of Beauséjour, the colony of Porspoder is back in service
Beauséjour is not the only summer camp near Brest. That of Porspoder – opened in 1912 – also promises busy days. Supervised by their instructors, the children have fun, go to the beach, walk to discover the area. Like Beauséjour, the colony of Porspoder no longer exists today. It became a hotel-restaurant.
Everyone at the beach
On August 31, 1951, Le Télégramme announced the upcoming Pardon du Vieux Saint-Marc on the beach of the same name (filled in in the 1960s for the development of industrial-port activity). On the program: “Box breaker, water races, rope competition, duck race, brioche competition. » Enough to attract the crowd, even if the beach is usually very busy, like the two taverns located nearby.
Colorful parades
On March 20, 1955, it was carnival in the streets of Brest! Residents come in numbers, often in disguise, to watch the parade. Shaped like a Trojan horse or a Venetian gondola, the Brest floats impress with their originality and the work put into making them. It's certain, the Brest carnival is up to par with other parades in the region.
In the car Simon!
On the Place de la Liberté, young Brest boys rush to take part in the Young Pilot's Critérium. Created in 1957 by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest, the mini-car race (which stops throughout France) aims above all to raise awareness among tomorrow's drivers of road safety rules. Especially as car use is growing more and more.
The Tour de France honors Brest
For the first time since the post-war period, the Grande Boucle returns to Brest. It was 1952 and the race offered the city of Ponant the greatest gift of all: that of being the first Breton city to host the Grand Départ of the Tour. Le Télégramme sees this passage as a real spotlight on the city's rebirth: “Brest is resurrected and takes the Tour to witness. The Tour pays Brest with gratitude by allowing it to discover its future face: that of a large city of several hundred thousand inhabitants. »
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