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Date
Sunday, March 19, 2023
Time
11:00 a.m.
Place
Armory Food & Event Hall
Cost
Free Event

Seattle's French Fest: A Celebration of French-Speaking Cultures will take place on March 19, 2023: 11am-5pm at the Armory Food & Event Hall. The festival is part of the Seattle Center Festál series.

Seattle Center Festál is a year-round series of 24 free cultural festivals, produced in partnership with community organizations. In 2022, Festál celebrated 25 years of stories and traditions, ushering in a new era of hybrid programming. Learn more about Festál and subscribe to the newsletter for updates.

This year, the festival honors the French gastronomy, inviting bakeries, restaurants, chocolate companies, etc. 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 the French language in the world.

Event Schedule

Armory Main Stage & Floor

TIME ACTIVITY/PERFORMANCE
11:00am-11:30 am Bienvenue and Schools Choir
11:30am-12:00pm Opening Ceremony:

Frédéric Choinière, Master of Ceremonies

Didier Poirier, FEN President

Ariane Ogier, FEN Executive Director and Honorary Consul

Frédéric Jung, Consulate General of France in San Francisco

Nathalie Beaudoin, Consul and Program Manager, Foreign Policy and Diplomatic Service | Consulate General of Canada

Darijo Bošnjak, Acting Director of Workforce and Talent Development | Québec Trade Office in Silicon Valley

Philippe Goetschel, Honorary Consul of Switzerland in Seattle
12:00pm-12:10pm Presentation: Children's Authors
12:15pm-12:45pm Sponsor Videos/Projections
1:00pm-1:15pm Te Fare O Tematoa
1:30pm-2:15pm The Beau Goss Band
2:30pm-3:15pm Gansango Music and Dance
3:30pm-3:45pm Baguette & Art Contests Winners Announced!
4:00pm-4:30pm Ça Gaze Band
4:30pm-5:00pm Closing Ceremony
Air Tahiti Nui Raffle Winner Announced!
Armory Loft Lobby - Cooking Demonstrations
TIME DEMONSTRATION
12:15pm-12:45pm Chef Anne-Laure Ropars
Chocolate mendiants
1:15pm-1:45pm Chef Laurence Boris
Tarte à la vanille Muscovado
2:15pm-2:45pm Chef Didier Poirier
Moules marinières
Armory Loft 2 - Wine Tastings
TIME SESSION
11:30 am-12:15pm French cocktails with BCI
12:30pm-1:15pm Willamette Valley Wine Tasting with Domaine Résonance
1:30pm-2:15pm Four French regions Wine Tasting with Cépaé
2:30pm-3:15pm Cider & Brandy Tasting with French Cider and Spirits
3:30pm-4:15pm Languedoc-Roussillon Wine Tasting with The Princess & The Bear
Armory Loft 3 - Conferences
TIME ACTIVITY
12:15pm-2:00pm

Children books signing presented by Made in France & SJJ

Join renowned children's literature authors and illustrators Alex Cousseau, Hervé Le Goff, and Edouard Manceau for Selfie Time and get your books signed.

The books are available only before the event, for purchase in the partner schools: The French American School of Puget Sound and North Seattle French School.

Made in France promotes the French language and Francophone cultures through the organization of festivals and tours of artists and authors. All these festivals are developed in partnership with local schools, organizations, or institutions.

2:15pm-3:45pm “French for All” presented by Consulate General of France in San Francisco
4:00pm-4:45pm “Planning for the Unexpected” presented by Merrill Lynch
Armory Loft 4 - Film Screenings
TIME FILM
12:15pm-1:00pm Screening of “Ousmane” by Jorge Camarotti

Ousmane, a newly arrived immigrant living in Montreal, faces a challenging situation when he meets an elderly disoriented lady at the end of his workday.

Sponsored by: Québec Government Office in Los Angeles
1:15pm-2:45pm Screening of “La gang des hors-la-loi” (with English subtitles), from Jean Beaudin (2014)

His father having just died at sea, young Nicolas intends to spend the summer at the baseball field of his small village with his friends.

Sponsored by: Consulate General of Canada in Seattle 
3:00pm-4:00pm Screening of “Jean-Michel Basquiat, l’Afrique au coeur”

The French documentary Jean-Michel Basquiat, l'Afrique au cœur, looks back over this art legend and analyzes how Africa influenced his work and psyche.

Sponsored by: TV5 Monde USA 
Armory Balcony 

Plan your visit to Seattle Center with parking information and other food & drink options.

More Information

Same Day Events Showing Events on March 19, 2023

11:00 a.m.

International Gem & Jewelry Show

Admission Fee
America’s favorite direct-to-consumer jewelry show is returning to your area! The International Gem & Jewelry Show’s beloved events brings wholesalers, manufacturers and designers together under one roof.
12:30 p.m.

Snow White

Admission Fee
Celebrate the power of friendship and love with this hour-long, narrated version of Snow White. Journey with these classic characters as they prove that real beauty comes from within, and that belonging can be found in surprising places.
2:00 p.m.

Henry IV

Admission Fee
King Henry IV’s reign has been rife with conflict from the very beginning, which is not surprising given that he usurped the throne from Richard II. Now, even friends have become enemies as conflict between the King and his former supporters grows.
2:00 p.m.

Between Two Knees

Admission Fee
The first play by acclaimed intertribal sketch comedy troupe The 1491s—best known for the hit television series “Reservation Dogs”—takes audiences on a searing and absurdly funny series of vignettes through American history centered on one family’s account of their experiences from the massacre at Wounded Knee in 1890 to the protests there in 1973.
7:30 p.m.

Between Two Knees

Admission Fee
The first play by acclaimed intertribal sketch comedy troupe The 1491s—best known for the hit television series “Reservation Dogs”—takes audiences on a searing and absurdly funny series of vignettes through American history centered on one family’s account of their experiences from the massacre at Wounded Knee in 1890 to the protests there in 1973.

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