Bastille Day 2023

Overview

What more fitting time to indulge your inner Francophile, than France's national day of celebration? Dust off that beret because Queen Victoria Market is embracing the red, white and blue for Bastille Day, with a weekend of French festivities.

Descending on the precinct from Saturday, July 8–Sunday, July 9, the Bastille Day festivities will be held across Sheds C and D, dishing up a lively program of food, entertainment, market stalls, masterclasses and more.

A French winter marketplace will be stocked full of Australian-French businesses plus culinary favourites, which might run to the likes of croissants, cheese and charcuterie or crepes.

The French-accented entertainment runs acoustic or jazzy sounds from Noria and the Parisians, Vive la Différence and Moogy & The Avant-Guardian, or you can dive into topics like art, history and sustainability at one of the festival's Les Lumieres talks. There'll be culinary masterclasses dedicated to French favourites, and Melbourne's own French roots will be explored with a series of guided walking tours through the city.

And if you can't make it IRL, there's no need to cry into your creme brulée — the festival's also dishing up a supporting digital program featuring entertainment, talks, trivia and more.

Images: Previous installments of the Bastille Day French Festival