Sydney Festival 2023 starts on Thursday and there are three events with French and francophone links for you to attend. Read on to find out about the events from Africa, Canada and Switzerland at Sydney Festival 2023.
Yamoussa Bangoura grew up in Conkary, Guinea, where his first foray with circus began. He worked his way up through some of the best circus companies in the world before opening his own in 2007. Based in Montreal, Canada, Yamoussa Bangoura’s Kalabanté Productions develops young African circus talent and sharing it with the world.
Afrique en Cirque at Sydney Festival 2023 will see daring acrobats perform authentic and original choreography to the sound of African instruments including the djembe and the kora. Music is as much a part of this showcase of African talent as are the acrobats climbing to dizzying heights.
Special guests from the Afrique en Cirque production will lead this African drumming and dance workshop where they encourage people of all levels of practice to experience the liberating joy of dance.
Tickets cost $10 + booking fee for this one hour long workshop.
Swiss-born James Thierrée’s latest work is his most ambitious yet. With his Compagnie de Hanneton he creates a surreal theatrical imagining complete with dance, mime, acrobatics, music and incredible stage-effects.
In this room, the ceiling spins, mannequins come to life, bodies and instruments become one. The walls sing, the room howls with laughter and then disappears into the distance. In this room, everything is possible, everything comes together and then descends into beautiful chaos.
You may have seen James Thierrée’s previous shows at Sydney Festival in earlier years: Au Revoir Parapluie and Tabac Rouge.
Ticket prices:
Premium Full Price – $129
A Reserve Full Price – $109
A Reserve Concession – $100
B Reserve Full Price – $79
B Reserve Concession – $70
Under 30 – $49
+ booking fee
KEY INFO FOR SYDNEY FESTIVAL 2023
WHAT: Sydney Festival 2023
WHERE: various venues across Sydney
WHEN: 5 – 29 January 2023
HOW: Purchase tickets via the links above or see the website for the full program
HOW MUCH: Ticket prices vary depending on the event. Sydney Festival also always has some free events and installations.
For other events happening with French and francophone links happening in Australia this month, check out our What’s on in January.
So Frenchy So Chic 2023 celebrates a 12th year of indulgent summer escapism. Bringing the best of French culture to Melbourne’s Werribee Mansion and Sydney’s Bicentennial Park, this is a French garden party full of fun and frivolity.
Billed as the poshest picnic in the Southern Hemisphere but while there is French class, So Frenchy So Chic is a festival for all lovers of French culture. It’s also family-friendly and children’s tickets are available.
Music at So Frenchy So Chic 2023
As always, the music line-up for So Frenchy So Chic 2023 is guaranteed to have you kicking off your shoes and dancing on the grass.
Pi Ja Ma
Known for “gentle exuberance” and a paradox in which she is both a “lone wolf and addicted to love,” Pi Ja Ma’s sound is that of French pop with a distinct 60s influence — echoing SFSC’s 2022 project Yè-Yè 2.0, which saw top Australian female artists reinterpreting songs from that era. Listen to her here.
Rover
Rover, real name Timothée Regnier, is a powerhouse of vocal creativity. His self-titled 2012 debut album won the Revelation award at the Victoires De La Musique (the French equivalent to the Grammys) and reached Gold Disc status with over 50,000 records sold. Listen to him here.
Kalika
Fresh from performing at France’s summer festival circuit, Kalika’s voice has been described as “an iron fist in a velvet glove” and her music fearlessly confronts patriarchal standards. A night owl, she composes in the little studio she has set up in her Paris apartment. Listen to her here.
Suzane
Suzane’s fast, fiery, and profound music earned her a well-deserved award at the Victoires De La Musique (the French equivalent to the Grammys) for Best Live Performance in 2020. She’s enjoyed multiple appearances in some of Paris’s biggest venues, thanks to a spectacular stage presence informed by her background in dance. Listen to her here.
DJ Set
In both cities, So Frenchy So Chic festival founder Jean-Francois Ponthieux will make a rare appearance behind the decks alongside our star DJs for a special live radio set of French favourites new and old.
French food, wine and champagne at So Frenchy So Chic 2023
Of course, it’s not just about the music. After all, you can’t have a French festival without French food and wine. As always, So Frenchy So Chic 2023 has catered for all of your French food desires.
So Frenchy So Chic 2023 will be a wholly catered and licensed event, with feasts prepared by premiere French eateries in Sydney and Melbourne. Melbournians will enjoy offerings by Frederic Bistro, Prahran’s favourite French restaurant, L’Hôtel Gitan, and famous fromagerie Milk The Cow. The latter two will be the providers of the cheese and charcuterie hampers for Melbourne (which can be pre-ordered when you purchase your ticket (just look at the add-ons section of the ticketing website).
Sydneysiders can expect haute cuisine in a relaxed setting by Bellevue Cottage, headed up by Antoine Moscovitz, who trained under Alain Ducasse and was formerly private chef to House of Roederer Cristal Champagne. In addition, Rosebery French eatery, Frenchies, will be offering charcuterie hampers (which can be pre-ordered when you purchase your ticket (just look at the add-ons section of the ticketing website).
Food stalls will create an ambiance de marché will a wide selection of French food options including oysters, lobster rolls, croque monsieur, cassoulet, Basque paella, sweetcorn madeleines with blue swimmer crab and espelette, mussels, and pissaladière through to the ever-popular crêpes and crème brulée. As always charcuterie and cheese hampers will be available in both locations.
Champagne Lanson has been announced as the champagne partner for So Frenchy So Chic 2023 and will be poured alongside a curated selection of French wines and cocktails.
Premier pique-nique
Groups of 10 can treat themselves to an upgrade to the ultimate VIP experience with their own beautifully styled table with the best seats at the festival. These tickets include entry to the event, two bottles of Lanson champagne, two charcuterie hampers and two cheese hampers. These tickets cost $213.36 per person and can only be purchased as a group of 10.
Free Sun Umbrella
The first 500 tickets sold to So Frenchy So Chic 2023 will also receive a complementary SFSC sun umbrella/parasol which is perfect for adding some French flair to your outfit and shading yourself from the January Summer sun.
SFSC 2023 Charity Partner
When purchasing your ticket, you will also have the option to make a donation to So Frenchy So Chic 2023’s chosen charity: FareShare. It’s a charity that rescues food that would have otherwise gone to waste and turns it into nutritious meals for people in need.
KEY INFO FOR SO FRENCHY SO CHIC 2023
WHAT: So Frenchy So Chic, a French festival celebrating French music, food, wine and joie de vivre
WHERE & WHEN:
Werribee Park, Melbourne, Sunday 15 January 11:15am to 8:30pm
Bicentennial Park, Sydney, Saturday 21 January 1pm to 11pm
HOW: Purchase your tickets and pre-purchase your cheese and charcuterie hampers via the links below:
HOW MUCH: Early bird tickets are now on sale (and the first 500 adult tickets sold include a free SFSC sun umbrella) and are priced as follows:
Adult $85
Child 2-12 $14.07 (must be accompanied by a legal guardian at all times)
Teen 13-17 $54.95 (must be accompanied by a legal guardian at all times)
Students 18 and over $70.28
SFSC MELBOURNE TRANSPORT
You can purchase a return bus ticket for transport from Melbourne’s Southern Cross Station to Werribee Park and back for $42.87. It leaves Southern Cross Station at 10:30am and departs So Frenchy So Chic 2023 between 8:30pm and 9pm.
What are you waiting for?!
Buy your ticket now at the early bird price and countdown ’til January for the ultimate French day out!
Yamoussa Bangoura grew up in Conkary, Guinea, where his first foray with circus began. He worked his way up through some of the best circus companies in the world before opening his own in 2007. Based in Montreal, Canada, Yamoussa Bangoura’s Kalabanté Productions develops young African circus talent and sharing it with the world.
Pi Ja Ma
Rover
Kalika
Suzane
