Warning: Shameless Parental Plug ahead! But seriously, Telopea Park School’s La Grande Fête should be on your weekend agenda.

Let’s speak frankly, shall we? There are some times when having your own media website comes in handy—and one of those times is when your kids’ school has a fundraising event and you can plug it to your heart’s content. But that doesn’t mean that La Grande Fête, presented by Lycée franco australien de Canberra/Telopea Park School from  12 noon to  6 pm this Saturday 2 November, isn’t worth the hype!

One of the largest school fêtes in the ACT, the event promises multicultural food, fun and entertainment—and this year there are some exciting new features. Here are 10 reasons you’ll want to say ‘oui!’ to getting along!

French Food

Love French food but can’t afford the airfare? You’ll be spoilt for choice.

Stock up on authentic french bread and pastries from Oscar’s Bakery and Wildflour at the Boulangerie and find yourself a quiet corner to enjoy with some rich, flavourful French saucisson; eat ALL THE CHEESE at the fromagerie and make sure you save some room for a plate of oozy raclette.

But that’s not all! Pop by the brasserie to indulge in crêpes, pâté, rillettes and more; and wash it all down with French Champagne and rosé.

Everything else French

At this year’s La Grande Fête you can take a trip to France without leaving Canberra! L’avenue des Champs Elysées will boast all the culinary goodness above as well as beautiful French goods, books and more.

You’ll be able to visit stalls by the Alliance Française, ACT Bilingual Alliance, French TV, Les Explorateurs and The Eclaireurs.

Le Forum: Van du Livre will be there with their gorgeous range of French books and more, the France at Home van will boast an exciting array of purely French produce including Carambar sweets, Magasin de jouet will have exquisite toys on offer, and you can make your own perfume and learn about French perfume making at the French Perfumery.

Even more food!

With more than 70 nationalities represented in the student population, it’s hardly surprising that La Grande Fête’s international food offering is pretty impressive. We’re talking everything from German Bratwurst to Satay, to gourmet salads and arancini, delights from street food faves What the Pho, Gourmet Loose Churros and Song Laos Cuisine—not to mention a good old Aussie barbeque.

The guys from Zierholz will be there with a brew to match every mouthful, as well as coffee, shakes, cold drinks and more.

Plus, there’s a fantastic Happy Hour (with a bonus hour) from 4pm -6 pm with Zeirholz, bratwurst, international cheese and pâté platters and French champagne!

Show fun (without the show!)

Durkins is bringing the carnival fun to La Grande Fête—your ticket lets you ride-all-day on the Super Cha, Dodgem Cars, Giant Slide, Cup and Saucer, Cartoon Castle, Gorilla Jumping Castle, and the thrilling Disco Show!

Simply take your Eventbrite ticket to the Durkins booth onsite and exchange it for your wristband—it’ll hell you skip the queues. Tickets will also be on sale on the day.

More entertainment than you can poke a drumstick at

In past years, La Grande Fête’s vintage clothing stall has boasted labels like Max Mara, Chloé and Manolo Blahnik—get in early to unearth some sartorial treasures!

Plus there are always oodles of fantastic preloved books for all ages and some fantastic market stalls to browse.

The chance to chill

This year also sees the introduction of some exciting activations, including REKT!—a 12+ zone where bigger kids can chill on beanbags, play BYO handheld games, enjoy board and card games, learn how to make their own games using tools like Unity 3D, and groove to live chill music from local Triple J Unearthed artists.

Tabletop Freeplay is hosted by Games Capital, game-making by the Australian Institute of Entertainment van, and a comic lounge is hosted by Impact Comics.

So much fun for kids

DJ Snap will be getting primary-aged kids hyped with a Warmup Daytime Dance Party from 3 pm to 4 pm.

Plus there’ll be showbags, sideshow alley ( tattooing, portrait picture taking, balloon tying and more), Tombola (a kind of fancy lucky dip), a Theatre de Guignol puppet show and much more!

And we’re declaring Saturday “Sometimes Food” day, with fairy floss, cakes, cookies, churros, milkshakes and more on offer.

French cars + the chance to win a trip to Paris

Planes, (no trains) and automobiles—lots of them! The annual Canberra French Car Clubs display will be onsite, offering great eye candy to auto aficionados. There’ll also be RC Car Racing with the ACT Model Car Racing Club.

Plus, you could win a trip to Paris (and a whole lot more) in the Raffle Extraordinaire! Tickets will be on sale at La Grande Fête.

Fresh produce, jams and more

The best of the backyard will be on sale at Le Potager—think backyard eggs, lemons, garden plants, jams, sauces and more!

the essentials

What: La Grande Fête
When: 12 noon to 6 pm, Saturday 2 November
Where: Telopea Park School, New South Wales Crescent, Barton
Facebook: facebook.com.au/telopeafete.