Alliance Française de Geelong and National Trust Australia are partnering to bring la belle vie to the Heights in Geelong in a celebration of French culture, food, wine and entertainment.
With a market of over 30 stalls, a food court, a dedicated kids’ area, roving entertainers and live music, the inaugural Le Festival Français will be held on October 29 and 30.
Festival marketing and sponsorship manager Catherine Middlemiss said the festival, with its breadth of entertainment offerings and its idyllic location, would delight both francophiles and those new to French culture.
“It really is a celebration of all things French; French produce and merchandise, French art, music,” Ms Middlemiss said.
“There will be great bread and cheese, there will be wine and cognac, there’s a puppet show. We haven’t been able to travel for so long, so we’re bringing a little bit of France to Geelong.
“It’s for those who love going to France and haven’t been able to over the past few years, and for those who have never been to France to come along and learn about a different culture.”
Ms Middlemiss said ticket sales had been strong so far, with festival organisers expecting anywhere between 1,500 and 2,000 festival goers each day.
“We were going to do it in March of this year, but there was still some doubt around COVID and people venturing out, so we moved it to the long weekend in October,” she said.
“We are envisaging 1,500 to 2,000 people a day, which is great. We did consider that with the four-day break people might be leaving Geelong to get away, but it looks like we’ll have plenty coming to Geelong and the coast, so we’re looking forward to a really great weekend.”
French Australian chanteuse Emma Hamilton will perform on Saturday night in a separately ticketed show, while award winning podcaster Oliver Gee and French textbook author and lavender grower Judy Comley will also be making special presentations over the weekend.
