Get ready to Frenchify your life because the Bastille Festival is returning this week with quite the lineup. 2023 marks the 10-year anniversary of the popular cultural event so there’s a lot of exciting French-themed fun to look forward to. With gourmet French cuisine, art exhibitions, and lots of mulled wine, the festival has become a popular fixture on Sydney’s annual calendar and its stellar 2023 program is packing a punch with 10 tons of cheese, 10,000 litres of wine, 100 vendors and 80 artists.
Bastille Festival 2023
This time around, in line with their 10th-anniversary celebrations, the festival is expanding to Circular Quay, spanning from The Rocks, The Overseas Passenger Terminal, East Circular Quay, Customs House, Quay Quarter Lanes and more.
Spread across four days, the festival will feature some of the best bits of French food and culture. Think escargot, sweet and savory crepes, raclette, mulled wine and gooey melted cheese. Some of the city’s finest food artists and most avant-garde chefs are getting in on the action and bringing some of their most exciting French creations to the table including cheese-flavored dishes, flambé, en-croute and more. Also part of its line-up is Le Mulled Wine Cinema which will dish out classic French films with mulled wine and raclette throughout the festival.
For all the culture vultures, there’s 50 performances to enjoy including live bands, DJs, dance and street performances, live drawing and fire artists along with a 1.4-kilometre wine-tasting tour around the Harbour. There’s wine from Bordeaux, Provence, Loire and Burgundy to sip on as you soak up the festivities. Plus if the cold gets a bit too much, you can check out the Raclette Igloo Experience.
The Bastille Festival comes to Sydney from July 13-17. Entry to the festival is free but visitors will need to pay for food and beverages. Head here for more info.