Adelaide French Festival Presents a Magnifique Feast Of French Art And Culture

8000 people attended the second edition of Adelaide French Festival, celebrating the joie de vivre and indulging in a jam-packed program of all things French - from food and opera, to film, theatre, music, dance and workshops.

Featuring two world premieres and more than 20 exclusives, this year's festival focused on Brittany, with a range of musicians, artists, musicians, artists, designers and chefs travelling to Adelaide Festival Centre to showcase the region's culture.

The three day celebration kicked off beautifully with Monchichi, a stunning dance piece about love and life by French contemporary dance Company Wang Ramirez; Le Salon, which revisited the glory of the 18th century through a tantalizing combination of cheese, chocolate, champagne and opera; and So Frenchy So Chic, a French pop garden party at Pinky Flat which featured all-female line up of Camille, Yelle, Clara Luciani and Clea Vincent.

The festival wrapped up on Sunday with performances by French music acts Ladylike Lily and The Midnight Revolution.

This year, eight shows completely sold out in advance:

• Bon Vivant - an authentic French seafood dinner created Breton chef Nathalie Beavuais;
• Le Salon - which combined cheeses, champagne, chocolate and opera;
• Sonic Seasoning - a full sensory experience through cheese, wine and music;
• French Spirits Masterclass - a lesson in the characteristics, aromas and blends of some of the best French cognacs;
• The Powder Room: a masterclass in French perfume;
• Parfum and Apero Masterclass - an exploration of four unique cocktails inspired by fragrance profiles;
• A Taste of Brittany with Nathalie Beauvais - a special French cooking class featuring the flavours of Brittany;
• Junior Sous Chef - guiding kids to discover their inner chef

Adelaide Festival Centre CEO & Artistic Director Douglas Gautier AM said: "This was a delightful festival with a thoughtful and diverse program. It was wonderful to see people of all ages embracing French culture, at both free and ticketed events. From children making their own flower crowns, to sold out feasts of French cooking with South Aussie ingredients, attendees really wanted to immerse themselves - they wanted to be part of the experience. We thank the Embassy of France, which has shown great support of this festival, by helping to bring some wonderful French artists and work to Australia. We are also grateful for the support of the Government of South Australia, and Région Bretagne which was the focus of this year's festival."

In all, more than 130 artists were involved.

While the festival has wrapped, you can still catch some free French culture:

Bretonnes: Charles Freger - a collection of beautiful portraits of Breton women across generations, will be in the Festival Theatre foyer until January 27.

Out of Silence: Marcel Marceau by Jan Dalman, a series of photographs of the famous French mime taken over 38 years, will be on display in the Quartet Bar until February 24.

Brittany on Screen: a selection of moving image works by French video artists Marcel Dinahet, Sylvie Ungauer, Thomas Daveluy and Guillaume Lepoix. On display on Adelaide Festival Centre outdoor screens until January 26.

Picasso: The Vollard Suite: the famous artist's most celebrated series of etchings will be on show at Art Gallery of South Australian until February 3.

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