Royal Air Forces Association President’s Band recently returned from a 4-day band tour to Normandy and rated their experience as 5-star. Delighted with the success of the tour, band spokesman, Brian Hoare, described the whole experience as ‘well organised with seamless execution’.
The band of 32 were based in the beautiful city of Caen and travelled to their various performance venues along the coast over the course of the weekend. The band spent their first morning in Normandy exploring the medieval town of Bayeux before their first performance of the tour in the quaint Square des Canadiens in St Aubin sur Mer. This was a particular highlight for spokesman, Brian Hoare, who described it as ‘an outstanding day’: ‘the visit to Bayeux and the subsequent concert at Saint Aubin-sur-Mer was the best moment of the tour. The local rep was extremely hospitable at the local beach mussel barbecue and even gave the band samples of Champagne Cider and provided bottles of wine for our return journey!’
The following day, the band performed two concerts: the first at Place de la Fontaine in Port-en-Bessin-Huppain and the second at Place du 6 Juin in Arromanches-les-Bains. Here, bands can perform on the coastal promenade directly in front of the D-day Landings Museum – a site which is well known for holding commemorative events. Due to the fact that this is an extremely popular tourist attraction, concerts at Place du 6 Juin attract high audience numbers. Performing here is often a very moving experience for touring bands and as performance groups are given free entry to the museum, groups can learn about the history of the D-day landings following their concert.
The Royal Air Forces Association President’s Band’s tour plans don’t stop here as they are currently contemplating where to tour to next!
For more information on a band tour to Normandy, visit our website or give us a call on 01332 347 828.