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Gastronomy and Nuit Blanche – festive events for early autumn

Categories : Events, Flavors and Gastronomy, published on : 9/9/16

The themes this autumn are friendliness and generosity with great events like the Festival of Gastronomy and Nuit Blanche to look forward to. As they do each year, these popular events promise lots of entertaining moments.

A gourmet invitation

French cuisine is inextricably linked to our cultural identity and contributes to France’s influence overseas. Therefore, it’s perfectly natural that we celebrate French cuisine’s UNESCO national heritage listing with several days of celebration. The 6th edition of Fête de la Gastronomie is from 23rd to 26th September and gourmet events will take place all over France for the entire three days. Its goal is to make culinary arts accessible to everyone through numerous activities and events like tastings, banquets, picnics and events in exceptional locations – all of them designed to highlight the basic values of sharing and enjoying food together. Over three days, the Fête de la Gastronomie presents many events that are run by professionals, and chefs invite you to take to the streets armed with pots and pans to create delicious dishes with a decidedly French flavour. The main stand this year will be kitchens that highlight the terroir and French culinary heritage. All over France, especially in Paris, great gourmets and culinary experts will gather together around expertly cooked, emblematic dishes that make the most of local products and unusual flavours.

Art in a public place

For the past 14 years, the city of Paris has organised a free festival on the first Saturday night in October. Nuit Blanche (White Night) focusses on the development of art in public spaces – both in the capital’s most famous monuments and buildings and its secret, hidden spaces. Under the leadership of Jean de Loisy, director of this artistic odyssey, the 2016 edition (scheduled for the night of October 1st to 2nd) takes you through a city that is filled with contemporary art works, installations, exhibits and performances created by established and emerging artists from all over the world. Each district takes its own direction and there are also many activities for children. It will be difficult to see everything in one night but don’t worry, although some works are only on display for this one exceptional night, others remain in the public domain for longer – much to the delight of Parisians and visitors who are able to enjoy them for months or even years to come.