Bonjour, Sydneysiders! The Harbour City is scoring an authentic French Christmas market for the first time, complete with Northern Hemisphere winter charm. Snowy chalets, mulled wine and ooey, gooey melted cheese vendors will be doing their level best to trick your brain into forgetting that here in Australia, we’re approaching the peak of summer (although the weather event the East Coast is enjoying at present is making it slightly easier to imagine Sydney as a winter wonderland).
But while a soggy summer in Sydney isn't quite the same as a white Christmas in Paris, this four-day food, wine, and culture festival popping up at Circular Quay is pretty much the next best thing. Not only will you get to taste some authentic festive France fancies, but you’ll also find some tree-mendous Christmas gift ideas from the French Christmas Market.
Held annually (usually in July) and celebrating its eighth anniversary this year, Bastille Festival is the perfect free-entry event to experience French culture and bring something French to your own table for Christmas. A major highlight of the festival – which will run December 17-20 – is the Wine Tasting Tour. For $37 per person, get taken on a journey of French vineyard discovery, tasting five premium wines from the country's most famous wine regions such as Bordeaux, Burgundy, Côtes du Rhône, Loire and Provence. You’ll even get a “French passport” that’ll get stamped at all les bars à vin (French wine bars) onsite, and a re-usable Bastille-branded eco wine glass to drink from and take home for memories.
On your Tour de France of authentic French food specialties, you can expect to find traditional treats such as Normandie French crêpes, Alsace’s mouthwatering flammekueche (creamy pizza), the famous Alps Raclette, saucisson, fresh baguettes, soups, and croque-monsieur. Or if you’re looking to satisfy your sweet tooth, bite into a macaron or some crisp waffles.
Don’t forget to pay a visit to French Christmas Market while you’re at Bastille this year, where you can shop some amazing French delicacies and fancy take-home gifts such as truffles, mustards, French linen and more.
Complete with snow falling, French wood huts and Christmas music, Bastille Festival French Christmas Market will pop up at Customs House in Circular Quay for a French experience we won’t soon forget.
You can book your Wine Tasting Tour now on the Bastille Festival website. Stay updated on the event by following Bastille Festival on Facebook and Instagram. Joyeux Noël cobbers!