The 2025 Kaohsiung French Festival came to a successful conclusion on the evening of the 25th at the Pier-2 Art Center. Garnering widespread acclaim, this year’s event attracted over 160,000 visitors within three days, breaking last year’s record! Director-General Chang Yen-Ching of the Department of Administrative and International Affairs, Kaohsiung City Government, said that the event, now in its second year, embraced greater diversity in every aspect. She expressed her hope that through the face-to-face exchanges fostered by the event, the city could create warm interactions and lasting Taiwan–France relations, making this international friendship part of citizens’ daily lives and demonstrating Kaohsiung’s commitment to promoting international exchange. As the Kaohsiung French Festival has become a signature event for bilateral cooperation between Kaohsiung and France, both the French Office in Taipei and the Association des Français de Taiwan highly praised its role in enhancing Taiwan–France friendship and exchange. Many participants also expressed their wish to return for this Taiwan–France celebration again next year!
The second edition of the Kaohsiung French Festival once again brought together the Kaohsiung City Government and the French team, this time with a broader scope and brand-new elements. Director Franck Paris of the French Office in Taipei expressed his gratitude to Kaohsiung City Mayor Chen Chi-Mai and his team for their outstanding planning and execution in making the second festival possible. As ties between Kaohsiung and France continue to grow closer, he said that he looked forward to further collaboration beyond cultural and economic fields and reaffirmed the institution’s support for the plan to establish a French international school in Kaohsiung.
“Thank you, Kaohsiung! The event was simply splendid!” exclaimed President Dominique Levy of the Association des Français de Taiwan, adding that he was still in awe of the joy, energy, and passion the event had brought. Acknowledging that the huge on-site crowd was the sweetest reward for the organizers’ hard work, he sincerely thanked the Kaohsiung City Government, partners, and sponsors who made this wonderful French cultural celebration possible, as well as the enthusiastic citizens of Kaohsiung who participated.
One of the highlights of this year’s event was the incorporation of the ocean image into the main visual design and installation art by French artist Christopher Boyd, whose ingenuity earned widespread acclaim. Other attractions included VR movies, art workshops, French coffee walking races (Course des cafés), culinary shows, and French karaoke. These debut activities were both educational and entertaining, drawing international visitors and local citizens alike to participate with enthusiasm.
The pop-up restaurant of renowned French chef Thomas Chien saw full houses at all time slots. Boulangerie Shakespeare and other gourmet stalls at the French marketplace were also extremely popular, selling out their products early. The three-day event also featured brilliant performances by celebrated artists, including jazz singer Estelle Perrault, French musical theater actor Gauthier Herbin, international musical theater actress Jaime Bono, the ADOGA band, and the ELATION band. Immersed in French art and culinary delights, participants eagerly shared how much they enjoyed the authentic French delicacies and the charismatic musical atmosphere, and many promised that they would definitely return next year!
Presentation of the 2025 French-Taiwanese student sailing project was also an important part of this year’s event. Teachers and students from Lycée International Français de Taipei, Taipei European School, Heping Experimental Elementary School in Taipei, Wenguang Primary School in Penghu, and Shanwei Elementary School in Kaohsiung arrived in Kaohsiung after a seven-day sailing journey to share their fascinating voyage, further strengthening Taiwan–France friendship.
The Kaohsiung City Government expressed its special thanks to the co-organizers, the French Office in Taipei and the Association des Français de Taiwan; to the supporters, to the Ocean Affairs Council and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for their support; and to the sponsors, including Crédit Agricole CIB, Pernod Ricard Taiwan, Tara Foundation, TV5Monde, and EDF Renewables, for helping make the event a success.