With the Paris Olympics fast approaching, France – the birthplace of some of the world’s finest creations: Champagne, croissants and smelly cheese – is a place that’s on everyone’s minds. And, happily for Sydneysiders, the largest celebration of French culture outside of the country itself takes place right here in the Harbour City. Back for its eleventh iteration, Bastille Festival is a glorious celebration of all things French that pops up on the Sydney foreshore every year, and the 2024 event is set to be bigger and better than ever. The four-day festival is free to attend, and sees Circular Quay and The Rocks transform into a delightfully French soirée – complete with live jazz, DJs, dancing and all the cheese, baguettes and French wine that your Euro summer dreams are made of.
To honour the 2024 Paris Olympics, this year’s event will also feature a mini Olympic Village that will play host to sports workshops for adults and kids (everything from fencing and archery to basketball and badminton) and huge Paris-inspired sculptures (including a 6-metre-high replica of the Eiffel Tower). Other interactive events taking place during the four-day affair include creative workshops (everything from soap-making to comic art) and culinary masterclasses led by expert French chefs and sommeliers. If you’d rather just sit back with a mug of mulled wine, you can do exactly that at the open-air cinema – with a program of French films set to be screened beneath the stars.
With a major focus this year on live music, you can also expect a healthy dose of dancing, with 344 artists and 124 free shows forming the extensive live music line-up, which will play out across seven different sites around Circular Quay and The Rocks. Highlights from what we’ve seen of the music line-up so far include a transporting show by the Anna Weaving Collective and a jazzy saxophone performance from Bruno Gerhard.
And that’s without even mentioning the food, which – as an event celebrating such a gastronomic mecca – is predictably incredible. Expect street food stalls slinging all your French favourites (fresh baguette, we’re looking at you) and artisan makers to keep you stocked up once the festival comes to an end. Plus, there’s a magical dinner series popping up for four nights – with chefs from Deux Freres, Bar Mamonni and Zini Contemporary Gelateria collaborating on a four course menu that will be served at a magical long table with paired French wines.
Paris? Who needs her. You can learn more about Bastille Festival 2024 over here.
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