DRIVERS PARADE   MUST DO 



If it is a sunny day!! Even if raining, Le Mans City Centre Pubs and Restaurants are still worth a trip. There are also some very good up-market clothing boutiques. The parade is mandatory for all the Drivers in the Race, seated in old vehicles going around a city centre route accompanied by marching bands (of various persuasions) and pretty women. If it is a sunny day, it will be busy but the place has enough space – expect about 150,000 people, centred on the Place de la Republique. There is also a Special Marque each year to celebrate some car manufacture’s centenary and a single marque displays its wares, ancient and modern.

The ACO describe it -

 "The Drivers' Parade, celebrating its 27th running this year, is the not-to-be-missed rendezvous between the drivers and the public the day before the race. In the late afternoon all the drivers in the Le Mans 24 Hours will parade in the Le Mans town centre in historic cars. The organiser, Classic Automotive, in partnership with the Automobile Club de l'Ouest will pull out all the stops to give the spectators an unforgettable festive spectacle along the specially prepared route that winds through the streets of the town."