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Seattle's French Fest: A Celebration of French-Speaking Cultures is March 23: 11am-5pm at the Armory Food & Event Hall. The festival is part of the Seattle Center Festál series. It is free and open to the public.

Seattle Center Festál is a year-round series of 25 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.

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EVENT SCHEDULE - SUNDAY, MARCH 23: 11am-5pm

ARMORY STAGE

Time

Event

11:00am-11:30am

School Choirs
- French American School of Puget Sound (FASPS)
- Les Lilas French Bilingual Community School
- North Seattle French School (NSFS)
- French Immersion School of Washington (FISW)

11:40am-11:55am

Opening Ceremony Remarks
- Ariane OGIER – Honorary Consul of France in Seattle
- Didier POIRIER - President of France Education Northwest 
- Chelsea MOST – Director of Programs & Events, Seattle Center
- Susan KEGEL – President SNSCA
- Sofia-Cristina VISAN - Executive Director of France Education Northwest 

12:00pm-12:45pm

Bonnie Birch

1:00pm-1:20pm

Caroline Loeb

1:30pm-1:50pm

Te Fare O Tamatoa

2:00pm-2:45pm

Whozyamama Cajun & Zydeco Band

3:00pm-3:20pm

La Chorale Francophone

3:20pm-3:30pm

Best Baguette & Best Croissant Contest Results

3:30pm-3:50pm

Seattle-Nantes Sister City Association Scholarship Awards

4:00pm-4:15pm

Raffle Drawing

4:15pm-4:30pm

<<A Better Climate>> Sponsors Video

4:30pm -5:00pm

Closing Remarks
- Florian CARDINAUX – Consul General of France in San Francisco
- Sofia-Cristina VISAN – Executive Director of France Education Northwest

ARMORY LOFT BALCONY - ART WALK

Time

Event

11:00am-5:00pm

Art Walk featuring:
- Carlos Lagos
- Geraldine Le Calvez
- Suze Woolf

ARMORY LOFT LOBBY- PHOTO EXHIBITION

Time

Event

11:00am-3:00pm

Children's Photo Exhibition on Sustainability, in partnership with:
- French American School of Puget Sound (FASPS)
- Les Lilas French Bilingual Community School
- North Seattle French School (NSFS)
- French Immersion School of Washington (FISW)

ARMORY LOFT 1A - FILM SCREENINGS

Film Screenings presented by Alliance Française

Time

Event

12:30pm-1:35pm

Bonjour le monde de Anne-Lise Koelher et Eric Serre• 2019•
1h01• Animation• Jeune public

2:00pm-3:20pm

La Petite bande de Pierre Salvadori• 2021•
1h46• Fiction• Aventure, Comédie, Jeune public

ARMORY LOFT 1B - DICTÉE

Time

Event

1:30pm-2:30pm

Dictée

ARMORY LOFT 2 - WINE TASTING

Time

Event

12:00pm-3:00pm

Discover Francophone & American Wines

ARMORY LOFT 3 - BEST BAGUETTE & BEST CROISSANT CONTEST

Time

Event

1:00pm-3:00pm

Best Baguette & Best Croissant Contest in partnership with French Morning

ARMORY LOFT 4 - PANEL DISCUSSIONS & WORKSHOP

French Chamber of Commerce – Pacific Northwest (FACC-PNW) and their partners will be hosting panel discussions & workshops on sustainability, which will feature four (4) committees.

Time

Event

10:30am-12:15pm

“Climate Fresk: The Workshop to Understand Climate Change”
with Thomas Siffer of Terreau

12:30pm-1:15pm

High-Tech Committee: “Insights into Local Carbon Capture Technology”
with Makoto Hamamoto Eyre of Homeostasis & Dr. Joan Palmiter Bajorek

1:30pm-2:15pm

Energy Committee: “Nuclear Energy & Transatlantic Collaboration”
with Stephen Mazurkiewicz, P.E. of Framatome & Dr. Jim Conca

2:30pm-3:15pm

Aerospace Committee: “High on Green – Soaring Beyond Clear Skies”
with Dr. Erika Wagner of The Exploration Company, Dr. Youcef Abdelli of ZT1 Technologies & Janique Francis of Amazon Prime Air.

3:30pm-4:15pm

Life Science Committee: “Protecting Our Health in a Changing Climate”
with Dr. Kristie Ebi, Dr. Curt Malloy of HDT Bio, Marion Avril of MalarVx, Inc. & Elizabeth Cross Nichol of Life Science Washington Institute

ARMORY FLOOR - BOOK SIGNINGS

Time

Event

1:30pm-2:30pm

Caroline Loeb, PIAFF Booth

2:30pm-3:00pm

Dr. Joan Palmiter Bajorek, FEN Booth


VENDORS

  • Alliance Française Seattle
  • Apple Cox
  • Canoe Island French Camp
  • Du Broca Studio
  • Education Francaise Greater Seattle (EFGS)
  • French American School of Puget Sound
  • French Immersion School of Washington (FISW)
  • French Mornings Preschool
  • Helene Bisson Home Design
  • Le Petit Village
  • Les Lilas French Bilingual Community School
  • L'Expérience Paris
  • Maison de France
  • Mediterra
  • Medula
  • North Seattle French School (NSFS)
  • Pays Provençal
  • Petit Pierre Bakery
  • PIAFF
  • Seattle-Nantes Sister City Association (SNSCA)
  • Terreau
  • The French Guys Bakery

View the 2024 highlights below

Photo Gallery

OVERVIEW
Seattle Center Festál presents Seattle’s French Fest: A Celebration of French Speaking Cultures in partnership with France Education Northwest (FEN).

Seattle’s French Fest celebrates the diversity of traditions, ideas, dialects, and more, that comprises French-speaking cultures around the world. While France is often the most well-known French-speaking country for people in the U.S., there are many other countries and places all around the world where French is spoken. French and several similar dialects are even spoken by groups in the U.S., particularly in Louisiana.

The festival aims to embrace this diversity of French-speaking cultures in the types of activities offered at the event. It promotes the French idea of “joie de vivre” through music, dancing, cooking demonstrations, film screenings, wine tastings, baguette tasting contest, and more. Each year, there are live performances on the main stage featuring traditional dance and music from French-speaking countries or in the French language. 

HISTORY

France Education Northwest (FEN), founded in 2008, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. The organization was started by leading members of Seattle’s French American community, including many members of the French American Chamber of Commerce of the Pacific Northwest, to focus on education and promotion of French culture. FEN’s founders were particularly driven by a desire to reach out to and inspire youth. While FEN serves these goals in a variety of ways, from cooking classes to visiting local schools, the festival is by far FEN’s biggest and most accessible event.

Seattle’s French Fest: A Celebration of French-Speaking Cultures draws inspiration from the “International Day of Francophonie,” a celebration organized in over 100 countries every March 20th to honor and showcase the diversity of Francophone cultures and traditions. Francophone means French-speaking, and can be used to describe people, cultures, and regions. The term “francophonie,” however, describes more than just a linguistic or geographic connection to France. “Francophonie” describes a unifying sense of belonging to and appreciation for Francophone values and culture.

The festival is an important part of FEN’s founding mission, acting as a catalyst for our local public, no matter their background, to learn about and share in celebrating French and French-Speaking cultures. The festival first opened in 2013 and has since taken place every year during the spring. Even though the festival is just one-day long, it is one of the West Coast’s largest Francophone-themed festivals. For its deep-rooted belief in the importance of appreciating and learning about diverse cultures, Seattle’s French Fest: A Celebration of French Speaking Cultures, is and will continue to be a celebration of French-speaking cultures around the world.

DID YOU KNOW?

  • There are 29 countries where French is an official language, and 31 countries that are considered Francophone. There are also several smaller regions and groups where French is spoken.
Learn more about France Education Northwest (FEN).
Visit FEN Website

French Fest Event Details

March 23, 2025

Festal Sponsor

Campus Sponsors