This experimental study is devoted to visualisation and ultrasonic velocity measurement of the wakes formed behind a row of parallel cylinders placed side by side, perpendicular to an incoming flow at low Reynolds numbers. When the distance separating the cylinders is small compared to their diameter, two instability mechanisms, associated with different patterns and dynamics compete. A first spatial symmetry breaking appears when the stationary wakes behind each cylinder are deviated towards one side or the other and form large clusters containing from two to sometimes more than ten wakes. These clusters are separated by intense recirculating zones. When the Reynolds number is increased, the wakes belonging to the widest clusters experience a secondary temporal oscillatory bifurcation. Classical Be´nard‐Von Ka´rma´n vortex streets are thus shed in phase by these cylinders (acoustic mode), by contrast with the wakes outside these cells which stay stationary. Finally, the flow around far apart cylinders is also investigated. The primary instability does not occur in this case and a perfect optical mode of vortex shedding, with neighbours in phase opposition, takes place in the flow. ©1996 American Institute of Physics.