Bastille Festival Is Bringing Joie de Vivre to Circular Quay with a Four-Day Soirée Filled with Food, Wine and Entertainment
This annual event is set to light up the Harbour City this winter with comforting cuisine, live performances and more.
You don't have to be a Francophile to love the Bastille Festival. Since 2012, the event has taken over Sydney with joie de vivre, brimming with outstanding food and wine, live music and street-side entertainment. In 2025, the festival brings even more warmth to this wintertime showcase, featuring over 120 exhibitors and 80 dishes, from classic regional flavours to inventive fusions. So, if great cuisine is your raison d'être, planning your visit is the right move.
Running from Thursday, July 17–Sunday, July 20, food remains an unmissable highlight for the festival's 12th edition. Presented alongside exclusive chef collaborations and international flavours reimagined with a French twist, expect a culinary offering bursting with raclette, escargots, crêpes, macarons and so much more. Whether you've journeyed to France or just love the nation's cuisine, tasting your way across the country is made easy.
Of course, wine is intrinsically linked to French cuisine, and the Bastille Festival's program doesn't disappoint. Eight iconic wine regions are represented in this year's event, with curated vino selected from boutique and prestigious makers based in Bordeaux, Burgundy, Provence and beyond. "Our wine experiences aren't just about tasting — they're about storytelling," says Bastille Festival Founder and Director Vincent Hernandez. "Each glass is a journey through a region, its traditions and its people."
Champagne is a notable focus, with pop-up stations spread throughout the festival and two distinctive wine bars offering champagne paired with oysters and seafood. Meanwhile, 18 bars across Circular Quay and The Rocks will also serve mulled wine, spiced hot cider, craft beer and cocktails for your sipping pleasure. "This 12th edition is all about going bigger, bolder, and more immersive — offering Sydneysiders and visitors a true 'Tour de France' of flavours, sights, and sounds," adds Hernandez.
Besides virtually endless French cuisine, the Bastille Festival also presents four jam-packed days of live entertainment. Featuring over a hundred free shows riffing on the country's cultural traditions, two main stages and a dozen busking spots will come to life with live concerts, street theatre, dance lessons, acrobatic displays and more. Plus, old favourites return, with French Cabaret Night and the French DJ Party transforming First Fleet Park throughout the weekend.
"At its core, Bastille Festival is about connection — to food, to culture, and to each other," says Hernandez. "We're creating moments where Sydney can come together, celebrate, dance, and rediscover a little bit of magic in the middle of winter."
Bastille Festival runs from Thursday, July 17–Saturday, July 20 at across various locations in Circular Quay and The Rocks. Head to the website for more information.
