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Honor France and the French-speaking world on March 23rd
SEATTLE – Seattle’s French Fest: A Celebration of French-Speaking Cultures, part of the Seattle Center Festál series, celebrates the diversity of traditions, ideas, heritage, dialects and more that comprise French-speaking cultures around the world. Presented by France Education Northwest (FEN) and the French American Chamber of Commerce in Seattle PNW (FACC-PNW), this annual festival will take place on Sunday, March 23 from 11 a.m.- 5 p.m. at the Seattle Center Armory Food & Event Hall.
The event is free and open to the public and draws its inspiration from the worldwide “Day of Francophonie,” which is organized in over 100 countries each March to celebrate the diversity of global Francophone cultures and traditions. Festivalgoers of all ages have an opportunity to enjoy many engaging activities, including music, dancing, cooking demonstrations and contests, film screenings, wine tastings, and more.
“Now in its 13th year, Seattle’s French Fest is part of the Seattle Center Festál series and attracts thousands of visitors each year,” said Sofia-Cristina Visan, FACC-PNW Executive Director. “We invite you to join us for our 2025 festival which will celebrate and promote Francophone cultures to the greater Seattle area while honoring the theme of ‘A Better Climate’.”
“A Better Climate” will be featured through activities focused on sustainability, protecting nature, circular economy, climate innovation, carbon footprint reduction, and a better social environment while we face increasing scarcity of resources. Activities include: The Children’s Photo Exhibition on Sustainability, in partnership with local schools such as French American School of Puget Sound (FASPS), French Immersion School of Washington (FISW), North Seattle French School (NSFS), Les Lillas French Bilingual Community School, and panel discussions and workshops on sustainability led by the six committees of the FACC-PNW.
“French is one of the most geographically widespread languages in the world, giving many different people and cultures something fundamental in common,” said Heidi Jackson, Seattle Center Managing Artistic Director of Cultural Programs. “French Fest at Seattle Center is an opportunity to highlight ‘joie de vivre’ through the culturally rich French-speaking communities who help shape the character and course of our region.”
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, as well as the new “Best Baguette & Best Croissant” contest in partnership with French Morning. They will also enjoy live performances, including Tahitian dancing from Te Fare O Tamatoa and music by Bonnie Birch, Whozyamama Cajun & Zydeco Band, La Chorale Francophone, and school choirs.
There will be wine tastings, French movie screenings in partnership with Alliance Française, and the opportunity to celebrate the 45th anniversary since Seattle and Nantes became Sister Cities, in partnership with Seattle-Nantes Sister City Association (SNSCA).
Booth and vendors include Apple Cox, Pays Provençal, Seattle-Nantes Sister City Association (SNSCA), The French Guys Bakery, L’Experience Paris Bakery, Petit Pierre Bakery, Consulate of Canada, Consulate of France in San Francisco, Medula, and local French schools, preschools and day camps.
This festival is part of a series of 25 festivals, presented by various cultural organizations and hosted by Seattle Center throughout the year.
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.
More information on the festival is available at seattlecenter.com and faccpnw.org.
About Seattle Center Festál
Seattle Center Festál is a unique public program series of 25 free cultural festivals, each offering its own celebration of heritage and identity. These events provide a range of engaging programs and activities to cultivate a deeper understanding of the diversity of our region. Seattle Center Festál is produced in partnership with community groups, presented on weekends from January to November and supported by City of Seattle, Seattle Center Foundation, and 4Culture.
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.
Seattle Center has expanded 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 supports 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 Blue Cross, 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
