With more than 10,000 French-born people living in Sydney, and plenty more who love the cuisine, wine, and culture, it’s no surprise there’s multiple French markets and festivals thrown in the city. The best (in our opinion) is the annual Bastille Day festival.

Held on a weekend close to the 14 July French national day, the Bastille Day festival brings all kinds of French foods, tipples from acclaimed wine regions around the country, fashion stalls and more.

When does the festival take place?

In 2025, the festival is held from Thursday, 17 July until Sunday, 20 July. Perfect for lunch on a workday or a sunny Sunday afternoon, the days are pretty long so there’s a hopefully there’s chance you’ll be able to make it work.

• Thursday, 17 July: 12pm until 10pm
• Friday, 18 July: 10am until 11pm
• Saturday, 19 July: 10am until 11pm
• Sunday, 20 July: 10am until 8pm

Where is the Bastille Day festival in Sydney?

Scattered around Circular Quay, there’s four main zones for the festival:

• Customs House
• Under the Cahill Expressway
• First Fleet Park
• MCA (Tallawoladah Lawn)

After spending a few hours at the festival, we found most of the classic French eats and drinks were in the section in front of Customs House.

First Fleet Park, which very much flows toward the MCA, had a festive atmosphere with a stage playing music and more places to sit and eat on the grass.

Below the Cahill Expressway, there seemed to be more not-so-French merchants trying to put a twist on their dishes.

What’s there to do?

Eating and drinking is probably the main draw card of the festival. Or at least it’s what drew us into the city on a weekend.

There are live shows in each section, too. Live performers play from 12pm until 11pm on the main stage on the Saturday and Sunday, with slightly earlier endings on Thursday and Friday. (See a full schedule on the Bastille Day festival website.)

Between eats, there are market stalls as well. Some you may want to check out include Maison Torrini Paris, which imports chic French fashion, and French Affair, which offers Provencal linens in a range for the home.

Best things to eat and drink

If you’re like us, when you think “French” you think of all the wonderful things to eat and drink. And the Bastille Day festival doesn’t disappoint.

What to eat at the Bastille Day festival

• Something hearty: Raclette from Raclette Melted Cheese or the grilled scallops from Orleans Moules-Frites
• Something light: Crepes from French Kiss Crêperie, escargot from Escargot Brothers or cheese from Long Paddock Cheese
• Something sweet: Macarons from Macaron de Paris

While we didn’t get to try it as the line was too long and we were short on time (probably a great sign!), we’ve heard rave reviews about the steak-frites baguette from Bouillion l’Entrecôte. Having eaten at the restaurant nearby, we’re sure the wait would be well worth it.

There’s plenty of not-so-French options as well, with stalls selling everything from German sausage to Brazilian barbecue to gnocchi.

What to drink at the Bastille Day festival

The festival’s Tour de France wine passports are a fun way to sample different drops from around the country. Across the festival, different stalls feature wines from different regions. Each usually has a few on offer, but sometimes the menu gets a bit smaller toward the end of the day as supplies run low.

But, there’s more than just wines on offer here. Here’s just a sample of what you can drink at the festival:

• Something classic: French champagne stalls
• Something warm: Mulled wine or cider
• Something new: Belgian chocolate champagne
• Something for the kids: French-style hot chocolate (with the option to add marshmallows and whipped cream!) from Epique Hot Chocolate

Is the Bastille Day festival only in Sydney?

Nope! But it’s the only one we’ve been to. There’s also a festival held in Adelaide. If we go in the future, we’ll be sure to review it and share it here.

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