Sydney's Bastille Festival is going bigger and better this July

The 12th annual Bastille Festival returns to celebrate French culture in Sydney from July 17-20.
This year will focus heavily on its French wine program, showcasing eight of France’s iconic wine regions.
Hundreds of free performances and shows will take place as well as a massive open-air party in First Fleet Park.
READ MORE: Two of London’s best Michelin-starred chefs are coming to Vivid Sydney.

If there’s any cultural food and wine festival that has grown at such an impressive rate over the past few years, it’s Bastille Festival. Last year’s massive surge of Francophiles down at Circular Quay was proof, pushing this yearly event from a small collection of fromage stalls and bakeries in front of Customs House to a blockbuster three-days of French culture.

Last year, the 11th edition of Bastille Festival danced around multiple locations across Circular Quay and The Rocks, showcasing the best of French food and drink alongside 344 artists and 124 free performances drawn from an ambitious live music program. It was a scene.

And now Sydney is ready to do it all again come France’s Independence Day this July.

Circular Quay and The Rocks will become stand ins for different regions of France as the 12th annual Bastille Festival spread 120 exhibitors across the area with an equal measure of food and wine, live music, and pop-up entertainment. How much food and wine, you ask? Expect at least 80 different dishes showcasing regional France, so you’re guaranteed to find something you’ve never tried before, and enough scope to showcase eight iconic wine regions from Bordeaux to Provence.

And yes, there will be Champagne. A whole lot of Champagne, shelled out by two pop-up bars also serving oysters and seafood.

*Bastille Festival helps fight off the winter blues each year (photo: Facebook).*

“Our wine experiences aren’t just about tasting—they’re about storytelling,” said Bastille Festival Founder and Director Vincent Hernandez. “Each glass is a journey through a region, its traditions and its people.”

Now for 2025 is getting the whole neighbourhood involved. In an attempt to one-up last year’s seismic shift in the festival’s popularity, 18 bars across Circular Quay and The Rocks will also be getting involved in the three-day celebration. Duck into a participating venue and you’ll find a list of mulled wine, spiced hot cider, craft beer and cocktails to help assuage a bit of that winter drear.

Hernandez describes it as a “Tour de France” of flavours, sights and sounds, highlighting the festival’s many facets which include the return of French Cabaret Night and a massive open-air party in First Fleet Park with French DJs.

“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.”