Brisbane French Festival 2015

The Brisbane French Festival was held at South Bank’s Cultural Forecourt this past weekend and consisted of an array of different stalls selling everything from French cuisine to French books, homewares, art and tours.

The festival started off on Friday night with the Paris Underground Cabaret where magic and illusions were performed along with burlesque and circus routines. The Air France Fashion show was held on both days showcasing French fashion designer Jérôme L’Huillier and fellow designer and muse Mette Pedersen’s eponymous fashion label.

There was an endless supply of French delicacies on display with never-ending queues where crowds sampled such treats as French éclairs, crepes, macarons and French pies.

The festival was also full of free entertainment throughout the weekend with magic shows, parkour and fencing demonstrations, street performers as well as dance and musical performances from the Brisbane Academy of Dance and The Hoo Ha Swing Ensemble among others.

Masterclasses where also on offer, allowing participants the opportunity to learn the proper setting of a table, a chance to taste and learn about the wines of Bordeaux and Loire Valley and the trick to matching French dessert wines with French cheeses. Also included was the Wine Pavilion which offered an impressive array of French wines from a variety of regions.

Kids were kept well entertained with a range of activities including pakour and fencing demonstrations, paper plane making, face painting and an educative tent where French stories where read and songs where sung.

The Wheel of Brisbane was also lit up for the occasion with the ferris wheel illuminating the evenings with the colours of the French Flag. The festival was a huge success with crowds loving being immersed in French culture.

Published on July 13, 2015 on West End Magazine