There’s nothing that plunges you into French culture quicker than a food festival. From sophisticated culinary events in the major cities to spirited gatherings in the tiniest villages, these celebrations around food and wine offer an immersion into what the French do best…
1. TASTE OF PARIS
Where: Paris, Grand Palais
When: Every May
For four days in spring, Paris’s newly restored Grand Palais morphs into a culinary mecca where 50 top Michelin-starred, trendsetting and up-and-coming chefs gather for a culinary bacchanal. Dozens of pop-up restaurants radiate from a central champagne bar, interspersed with stalls featuring gourmet foods and beverages from around the world. Chefs and pastry chefs have their own restaurant and kitchen where you can see them at work creating small plates of their signature dishes for a fraction of the cost at a restaurant. Visitors can attend talks by internationally known chefs, demonstrations and masterclasses. For the 2025 edition, tickets were €23 for entrance and €60 for a VIP ticket, which includes a glass of champagne and entrance to the private lounge. A few months before the festival you’ll find the menu online so you can sign up for talks and make a beeline for the chefs who interest you most.
paris.tastefestivals.com/en
2. OMNIVORE FESTIVAL
Where: Paris, Parc Floral de Paris
When: Every September
A younger, hipper version of Taste of Paris, for three days in September, in Paris’s lovely Parc Floral (Bois de Vincennes), the Omnivore Festival -now in its 18th edition gathers 500 chefs, artisans and sommeliers representing the best emerging young talent and producers in the French culinary landscape. Last year’s event – co-hosted by Sirha and themed around Jeune Cuisine and Café de Spécialité -welcomed talents such as Manon Fleury of Datil, Adeline Grattard of Yam’Tcha, William Ledeuil of Ze Kitchen Galerie and Mory Sacko of MoSuke. Among the 200 exhibitors, more than 100 masterclasses, demonstrations and conferences were held on topics including sustainability, food waste, street food and more all open to the public. In 2025, the 20th edition of Sirha Omnivore and the Paris Coffee Show will be held on September 13-15.
www.sirha-omnivore.com/en
3. LYON STREET FOOD
Where: Lyon
When: Every June
Food, culture and music unite at France’s biggest and liveliest food festival, where 120 chefs and pastry chefs – Michelin-starred and the best up-and-coming talents from around the world – roll up their sleeves and present their signature culinary creations at affordable prices. The festival is a magnet for French and international foodies (30,000 attended last year) in a celebration of all cuisines for people of all ages and backgrounds in a big party atmosphere. The indoor-outdoor event covers 40,000m² over several buildings with more than 400 free participatory workshops and 60 concerts, shows and DJ sets. Food trucks and dining areas are interspersed with wine and champagne bars and brewery trucks. The 2026 edition will be the tenth.
lyonstreetfoodfestival.com
Lyon Street Food Festival Dimanche 16_06_2024 HD ©BriceROBERT 73
4. SARLAT TRUFFLE FESTIVAL
Where: Sarlat-la-Canéda, Périgord
When: Every January
One of France’s biggest events celebrating the famous Tuber melanosporum, the Sarlat Truffle Festival, held every year in mid-January in the Dordogne’s pin-up town, is dedicated to the black Perigord truffle, which is harvested from December to March. Festival events centre around truffle tastings, cooking classes, workshops to learn how to identify and hunt the elusive tuber, wine tastings and a citywide market where growers sell local products. Restaurants in town, hosted by local and guest chefs, feature Périgord speciality dishes made with truffles and foie gras. Learn how to identify quality truffles and create your own truffle-based dishes with the specimens you buy at the fair at grower prices. Students from top culinary schools compete for the prestigious Jean Rougié Award for truffle-cooking.
en.sarlat-tourisme.com
5. FÊTE DU CITRON (MENTON LEMON FESTIVAL)
Where: Menton, Côte d’Azur
When: Every year from mid-February to early March
This two-week Mardi Gras celebrating the famous Menton lemon (and held simultaneously with Nice’s famous carnival) is among the most colourful food festivals in France. Every year in February and March, more than 200,000 visitors flock to this lovely Mediterranean city 29km (18 miles) up the coast from Nice to enjoy 14 days of fun in the form of daytime and nighttime parades with citrus-themed floats overflowing with costumed revellers, fireworks displays, fruit-based sculptures and, of course, plenty of citrus-centred food and libation. Equally fun for garden lovers, Menton is in full flower for the festival, with riotously colourful garden exhibitions, a crafts fair and the Festival of Orchids.
www.fete-du-citron.com
Corso des fruits d’or 2022 _ Opéras & Danses (Fête du Citron 2022) – Sabry Ardore
6. LES ÉTOILES DE MOUGINS
Where: Mougins, Côte d’Azur
When: Every other year in autumn
For three days in September, the Côte d’Azur’s biggest food festival hosts a distinguished roster of top chefs for dozens of tantalising events centred around food. The programme includes chef competitions and demonstrations, talks on a range of topics by Michelin-starred chefs, food trucks, an open-air restaurant and an area just for kids. There’s a festival brewery and a bar featuring world-champion mixologists where cocktail events are hosted, and Mougins’ 40 restaurateurs roll out a splendid open-air feast. The next edition will take place in September 2026. Perched in the hills outside Cannes, about 15 minutes by car from Grasse, medieval Mougins is one of the Côte d’Azur’s most charming villages and has long been a haven for writers and artists, attracting the likes of Paul Éluard, Jean Cocteau and Pablo Picasso, who spent the final 12 years of his life there.
lesetoilesdemougins.com
7. HABITS DES LUMIÈRES
Where: Épernay
When: December 12-14, 2025
Where else but the capital of Champagne would you expect to experience the ultimate celebration of bubbly? The stately Avenue de Champagne – known as the Champs-Élysées of Champagne – is the setting for this quintessentially festive event which celebrates the world’s favourite libation. This year marks the 25th edition and it promises to be the best yet, kicking off with illuminations, musical entertainment, fireworks and champagne overflowing in all the major champagne houses on and off the avenue. On the Saturday, Michelin-starred chefs and winegrowers will join forces to create original recipes in an open demonstration, before the P’tits Pâtissiers competition for best pastry chef takes place. All this will be followed by more effervescent fun throughout the evening. On the Sunday, the festival wraps up with a parade of rare vintage cars and a tea party for youngsters. It’s just an hour from Paris by train, making it a fantastic day out or an ideal weekend getaway.
habitsdelumiere.epernay.fr/en
Habits des Lumieres crédits Grappers
PARIS SALONS
For total immersion into French food and wine culture, and the chance to meet the people who bring it to life, head to one of Paris’s gastronomic salons. These three major events are held yearly in Paris. Salon International de l’Agriculture celebrates every aspect of French food production, from crops to livestock. You can sample an exhaustive range of French foods, from cheeses and charcuterie to bread and wine from its 1,000 exhibitors.
www.salon-agriculture.com/en
Salon du Chocolat’s hundreds of exhibits range from massive chocolate sculptures to gushing fountains to a fashion show of all-chocolate couture. You can attend talks, demonstrations and tastings from scores of exhibitors, including all the major French chocolatiers, plus plenty of pâtissiers too.
www.salon-du-chocolat.com
A ticket to the Salon des Vins des Vignerons Indépendants gets you an empty wine glass and a map of the enormous space where you can taste the elixirs of hundreds of independent winemakers from every region of France, then buy at producer prices. The 45th edition is from November 30 to December 3, 2025 at the Porte de Versailles.
www.vigneron-independant.com
SMALLER REGIONAL FESTIVALS
If you’re planning a trip to France and want a deeper dive into the glory of French regional food and wine, look out for these events.
FEBRUARY: Fête des Bœufs Gras de Bazas, Bazas, Gironde
MARCH: Foire au Boudin, Mortagne-au-Perche, Normandy
APRIL: Foire au Jambon, Bayonne Fête de l’omelette géante, Bessières Fête de l’Asperge du Blayais, Blayais
MAY: Fête de la Cerise, Céret Fête de la Fraise, Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne Festival International de la Soupe, Lille
JULY: Féria du Melon, Cavaillon Aniane Wine Festival, Abbey of Aniane La Route du Champagne en fête, Champagne
AUGUST: Fête de l’Oignon de Roscoff, Roscoff Paille et Ripaille wine and cheese festival, Langon, Gironde Fête de la Figue, Solliès-Pont Vignes Vins Randos, Loire Valley
OCTOBER: Fête de la Châtaigne, Collobrières Fête du Piment, Espelette Vendanges en Fête, Banyuls-sur-Mer, Pyrénées-Orientales Chablis Wine Festival, Chablis, Burgundy
DECEMBER: Fête de la Dinde, Licques, Hauts-de-Franc
From France Today Magazine
Lead photo credit : ©GeraldineMartens
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