It first took over Auckland waterfront in 2017, attracting 14,000 visitors for one day of Champagne, cheese, croissants and pétanque. This year Le Renault French Festival is coming back even bigger and longer. The sizeable festival will be held across four days and two venues from July 11-14, and organisers are predicting a whopping 35,000 for the encore.
Le French Village will serve as the daytime market, this year with 40 stalls and a venue twice as big offering everything from food to fashion and language lessons. Have your breakfast 'à la française' with coffee and a croissant, enjoy a glass of wine from the motherland while stocking up on bottles for home, discover the world's less tiring sport, soak up an ever-rotating collection of French short films, or sit back and listen to local music — they really have it all covered. Tickets will be available on the door for $10.
On Saturday, 13 July, One Night in France will see the biggest French banquet in New Zealand. Edouard Le Goff, French Festival Director and owner of Le Chef, and Harbour Society's Marc de Passorio will join forces to serve 650 guests a five-course feast, including one course entirely dedicated to cheese and a glass of bubbles on arrival. Diners will be asked to choose from four colour-coded tables named after famous French artists: Saint-Laurent (blue), Bardot (white), Bocuse (white) and Piaf (red).