Need to Know: Coupe Icare 2024
6 September, 2024, by Tarquin Cooper | Photography by Michel FerrerThe flying festival that celebrates all things wonderful about free flight returns again to St Hilaire, running from 17-22 September
The 51st Coupe Icare is expected to attract thousands of pilots and spectators to enjoy displays, demonstrations and the opportunity to catch up with flying friends.
“The Coupe Icare is much more than just an event,” says director Thibault Lajugie. “It is a fabulous air show, a film festival, a series of concerts, two professional exhibitions, a program of street arts, as well as all the experiences planned for the youngest participants as part of Icare Mômes.”
The Coupe Icare programme officially kicks off on Tuesday 17 September with a two-day testival, with the main events beginning on Thursday 19 September. These include the indoor trade fair, where you can check out the latest offerings from leading and indy brands alike.
There are also various concerts, street arts and “unusual shows designed to enchant, move, astonish and amuse”. For this edition there will be more artists than ever. The highlight for many of course is the iCarnival, the “crazy contest of flying fools in costume” in which pilots dress up in the most outrageous costumes before taking to the skies. Previous entries have included dragons, a flowerpot, a robot and someone riding a flying fish. Spectators can watch the displays either on the North launch at La Moquette or at the landing area down in the valley.
There will also be a feast of activities for kids to spark their curiosity into the wonders of flight including workshops on aeronautics and aerology, weather observation, paper planes, kites and falconry as well as a masterclass on how to throw a boomerang.
The Coupe Icare takes place just a stone’s throw from Grenoble, between the Grésivaudan Valley and the Chartreuse Massif, on the paragliding launch sites of the Plateau des Petites Roches (Saint-Hilaire du Touvet) on the cliffside, and its immense landing area in Lumbin 700m below.
Organisers say they expect up to 100,000 visitors to attend over the six days, including 10,000 pilots.
THE TESTIVAL
The testival runs over two days, 17 and 18 September. Pilots can test the latest harnesses, wings and flight instruments. The cost is €25 for the two days, which includes the daily shuttle. Online registration is required beforehand via the website.
50 YEARS OF COUP ICARE
The festival was founded 50 years ago in 1974 by a group of hang glider pilot friends who decided to put on a spot-landing contest. Since then the Coupe Icare has become one of the most important events in the free-flight calendar. In 1987 the famous costume contest was launched. Since then hundreds of colourful characters and flying machines have taken to the sky, including a 2CV, a yellow submarine, a cowboy on horseback and a trio of three little pigs.
FILM FESTIVAL
Since 1983, the film festival has been one of the highlights. The Icare du Cinéma festival brings together short and long film productions alike around the themes of air, wind and flight. Each year, the festival receives around a hundred entries. This year the jury includes Jean-Yves Fredriksen, who recently flew from the summit of K2, Franck Malleus, an adventurer who’s crossed Mongolia by horse, Karin Ekken, who works for the Dutch Mountain Film Festival and Laurent Roudneff, a pilot, fireman and film director. The screenings will begin on Tuesday 17 September. The awards will be announced on Friday 20 September 2024.
PLANNING TO FLY?
Because of the crowds and the numerous display flights going on, flying during the festival is controlled, especially on the Saturday and Sunday when the fancy-dress flying takes place. This year if you want to fly a paramotor or do the classic hike-and-fly to the Dent de Crolles on the Saturday and Sunday, you need to pre-register on the website before midnight 15 September: form filling to free fly – quelle horreur. During the event keep an eye on the opening times for the various different launches. The rules are there for a reason, there is nothing worse than launching into “clear air” just as six wingsuit display pilots whistle past you at 200km/h.
This article was first published in Cross Country 252
