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Experience Joie de Vivre (the joy of living) at Seattle’s French Fest: A Celebration of French-Speaking Cultures

People singing on a stage to an audience.
Seattle’s French Fest, Photo by: David Conger

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Honor France and the French-speaking world on March 19

SEATTLE – Seattle’s French Fest: A Celebration of French-Speaking Cultures, part of the Seattle Center Festál series, celebrates the diversity of traditions, ideas, dialects and more that comprise French-speaking cultures around the world. Presented by France Education Northwest (FEN), this annual festival will take place on Sunday, March 19th from 11 a.m.- 5 p.m. at the Armory Food & Event Hall at Seattle Center.

“We are delighted and thrilled to be once again hosting Seattle’s French Fest and welcoming the Greater Seattle community in-person for this celebratory event since 2019,” said Aleksa Chevskaya, French Fest Producer. “We look forward to meeting new and old friends and visitors and invite them to enjoy our interactive program filled with exciting activities that families can enjoy together!”

This year’s festival will honor French gastronomy, inviting bakeries, restaurants, chocolate companies, and more to participate. By showcasing artists and groups from French-speaking cultures, French Fest aims to raise awareness among French and American audiences about the importance of French culture and language in the world.

The festival welcomes Canadian Francophone TV personality Frédéric Choinière who will serve as the master of ceremonies for this one-day event. This year’s festival will include visits from the Consulate General of France in San Francisco and the Consulate General of Canada in Seattle. There will be opportunities to visit The Château de Goulaine virtually, a historic Château located in the Loire Valley wine region near Nantes, France, organized by the Seattle-Nantes Sister City Association. Visitors will also enjoy Tahitian and West African dance and music with live performances from Gansango Music & Dance and Te Fare O Tamatoa.

Guests can connect with Francophone schools, after-school programs, food vendors, and local businesses and participate in various cooking demonstrations from Seattle-based French chefs. There will be wine tastings, film screenings, choirs, and conferences. Children’s activities include cartoonists and book readings, making this a family-friendly event that is free and open to the public.

“We are excited to continue our 2023 Festál series with Seattle’s French Fest, A Celebration of French-Speaking Cultures,” said Seattle Center Interim Director Marshall Foster. “I am thankful Seattle Center can provide opportunities to highlight the culturally rich communities who help shape the character and course of our region.”

Booth and vendors include Air Tahiti Tourism, Alliance Française de Seattle, Apple Cox Design, Canoe Island French Camp, Consulate du Canada, Crêperie, Délégation du Québec, EFGS, Fairmont, FASPS, FISW, French Mornings, L’Expérience Paris, Le Petit Village, Les Lilas, Les Petits Livres, Merrill Lynch Life Agency, Nathalie Boss Real Estate, NSFS, Pays Provençal, Seattle-Nantes Sister City Association (SNSCA), and Tahiti Tourism.

“Our vision for One Seattle is a city where we uplift and celebrate the many cultures that make our city stronger,” said Mayor Bruce Harrell. “Seattle’s French Fest is an excellent opportunity to honor and share the diversity of French-speaking cultures and traditions through delicious food, art, and performances while also celebrating Seattle’s close ties to our sister city of Nantes, France.”

Seattle Center presents Festál: Seattle’s French Fest in partnership with France Education Northwest. Admission is free of charge. For more information, visit https://www.seattlecenter.com/festal or call 206-684-7200.

About France Education Northwest (FEN)

France Education Northwest is a 501© (3) non-profit organization originally founded by people involved in the French American Chamber of Commerce of the Pacific Northwest. FEN aims to familiarize the people of our region, and especially youth with the diversity and richness of several aspects of French Culture. Information on France Education Northwest is available here.

About Seattle Center Festál

Seattle Center Festál cultivates a deeper understanding of the cultures and ethnic diversity that contribute to the rich vibrancy of the Pacific Northwest. This unique series links together 24 free festivals presented on weekends from January to November, each with its own cultural focus, identity, and range of engaging activities. Seattle Center Festál is Where the World Gathers to celebrate the people, the places, the stories, and the traditions of the city’s communities. Seattle Center Festál is produced in partnership with 24 different community groups and supported by 4Culture, City of Seattle, and Seattle Center Foundation. Festál is also part of the ArtsFund Cultural Partners Network.

About Seattle Center

Connect to the extraordinary at Seattle Center, an active civic, arts, and family gathering place in the core of our city and region.    Seattle Center’s 74-acre campus, centered around the International Fountain, is part of the Uptown Arts & Cultural District and home to Climate Pledge Arena; more than 30 cultural, educational, sports and entertainment organizations; and a broad range of public and community programs. In everything it does, Seattle Center’s mission is to create exceptional events, experiences, and environments which delight and inspire the human spirit to build stronger communities.

In 2023 Seattle Center is expanding its role to provide maintenance and public safety services for Seattle’s new Waterfront Park, a series of new public spaces on Seattle’s downtown waterfront between Pioneer Square and the Seattle Aquarium. Seattle Center will support managing these new waterfront public spaces in partnership with the non-profit Friends of Waterfront Seattle, which offers the community a range of recreational and cultural programming.  Thanks to the support of Official Seattle Center Partners – Alaska Airlines, The Climate Pledge, Coors Light, Pepsi, Premera, Symetra, T-Mobile, and WaFd Bank – Seattle Center is the #1 arts and entertainment destination in the Pacific Northwest with 12 million annual visitors, generating $1.864 billion in business activity and more than $631 million in labor income annually.  www.seattlecenter.com