PatriceCulture comes first!

Patrice Desbleumortiers

Director of Culture and Events at Bréhal

In the colourful and lively world of Bréhal, one figure stands out for his dynamism and dedication to enriching the town’s cultural life: Patrice Desbleumortiers, the director of the cultural service for 25 years. Thanks to the municipality’s support for his work, Bréhal has become a crossroads for creative and festive activities, attracting residents and visitors alike to share moments of joy.

A real commitment to

public service

Patrice, the man with the laughing eye and the straight talk, describes himself as a fervent defender of public service, driven daily by a mission to make culture accessible to all. As a talent spotter for the concert of the month and a multi-talented presenter, each day brings its own challenges and demands, from requests from elected representatives to the organisation of events and support for local associations. It’s all part of Patrice’s daily routine, and “no two days are ever the same”.

Manoeuvring the

À Fond la Cale Festival

One of Bréhal’s proudest achievements is the creation of theÀ Fond la Calefestival , an emblematic event that symbolises thetown’s festive spirit. Created 25 years ago by former mayor Jules Périer and the Bréhal Animation association, the festival is a popular event that brings the town together around the sea.

The festival lasts for 4 days and offers plenty of fun and entertainment, all free of charge. The highlight, of course, is the “Objets Flottants Non Identifiés” (OFNI – Unidentified Floating Objects) race, inspired by the rafts on rivers in the south of France, or in the harbours of Brittany. When creating the event, we had to take into account the importance of local tides.

À Fond la Cale Festival

We thought it was great fun to take the boats out into the water, with bands, and watch them float (or not…). A carnival that literally throws itself into the sea. Nobody wins anything, but everyone wins – the pleasure of taking part and having fun.
It’s an event that’s open to everyone ! Holidaymakers from the campsites build their boats, but we also have regulars who have been here since the beginning, like the Amicale de Saint-Martin and the Brehalese sports and cultural associations, who all build their own UFOs. We’ve also got our neighbours from Bricqueville-sur-Mer, who challenge us every time and have a fun little battle with some of the parade’s historic teams. This year, we’ve got 3 new teams signed up: it’s open to everyone! All you have to do is build a boat that floats, compete with 6 people who can swim, but you can be 100 if you want to be in the parade! For example, a float from the Granville Carnivalhas joined the parade, with 80 people around it, and is leading the parade.
The organisation of “À Fond la Cale” involves around thirty people, including municipal employees and volunteers. The festival is not just about UFOs: There’s also a children’s day on Friday afternoon, a concert in the evening, a semi-nightly craft market, dancing, a lively stroll and anaperitif served by the town’s elected representatives on Saturday.

Overflowing with ideas!

Buoy race

the happy whalers of the Saint Martinade

Patrice is also the inventor of the “joyeux baleiniers de la Saint-Martinade” (happy whalers of Saint Martin’s Day) race, an original idea that is unique in France and was born during the COVID-19 pandemic. This humorous race takes place in buoys, where participants, dressed as whalers, try to win their weight in bouchot mussels.

During an evening at a friend’s house, the children were watching a programme on TV in which the participants strolled around on large buoys. I thought it would be great to have a buoy race. I went to my phone to check if anyone had already come up with this idea. I searched for ” whale buoys” in reference to the famous whale that washed up on the beach at Saint-Martin de Bréhal in 1999 and is also the mascot of the Saint-Mart’anim: BAM la baleine for Bréhal Animation Municipal.
I took all this and turned it into a humorous race. Initially, it was going to be a run from the Cale de l’école de voile to the main Cale, with a return in the water. Obviously, we quickly realised that this was a little too dangerous for the cardio system, so we decided to go for 50m out-and-back races with qualifiers and the icing on the cake: the winner gets his or her weight in Bouchot mussels, and that’s what makes this event so original!

Beyond the festivities, Patrice is a man of action and ideas. He is even thinking oforganising a Santa Claus race in the summer to select the ‘real’ official Santa Claus, the one who will hand out the presents to the children in December.

His anecdote

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“About ten years ago, during the opening of the festival, a passing holidaymaker saw the atmosphere in Saint-Martin and loved it. He decided to enter the Sunday UFO race. In the space of 24 hours, he made a UFO out of plastic bottles that he tied together and made us a mattress like that, a raft, and it was incredible. The best thing was that he arrived safely at the end of the race! That’s what UFOs are all about, getting everyone on board!”

His website

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“Apart from his responsibilities, Patrice finds solace and inspiration in the Vallée du Lude, a place he favours in winter for its tranquillity”.

Through his vision and commitment, Patrice Desbleumortiers embodies the spirit of Bréhal, a town where culture and fun meet, perfectly illustrating how a passion for community can transform a place into a vibrant and inclusive space.

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