Fête de la Gastronomie 2017

When? September 22-24 2017
What? Events up and down the country celebrate food, glorious food.
Where? Across France

In France, music has its own celebration day, Fête de la Musique (June 21); even work gets a special date, Fête du Travail (May 1), marked somewhat ironically by a day off. So what about food? In 2010, UNESCO classified France’s gastronomy as ‘an intangible cultural heritage of humanity’, but governing bodies have historically done very little to actively promote the survival of the country’s culinary traditions. But in 2011, a step was taken in the right direction with the inauguration of the Fête de la Gastronomie, which takes place this year on September 22-24. In Paris, this means a programme of events that bring together food professionals and the general public – from cooking demonstrations and recipe competitions to special lower-priced tasting menus in top restaurants.

Keep an eye, in particular, on the city’s various cultural centres – many organise one-off events that celebrate the culinary traditions of their respective countries. You can browse the programme, which is constantly being updated, here (events in Paris are helpfully listed according to arrondissement).

For more information on the Fête de la Gastronomie (in French), click here.