Admission:

- General: SOLD OUT

- Benefactor: $60 - Online purchase only; not available at the door

Perhaps the most eagerly-anticipated event during the Month of Francophonie, the Grande Fête is an invitation to travel the continents of the world in one night: each year, more than 35 embassies unite to present their culture and cuisine, accompanied by the sounds of a special concert by an artist from the French-speaking world. This year's featured artist is talented Swiss singer-songwriter Bastian Baker, whose pop-folk and catchy sing-along ballads stole the show at the Montreux Jazz Festival and sell-out venues across Switzerland.

From 7pm to 10pm: Visit each and every table to sample the countries' foods and beverages and admire their arts and crafts.

At 8:30pm: A live concert from Bastien Baker in the ballroom will complete the ambiance and deliver rhythms of the Francophonie world.

From 10pm – 12am: The cash bar opens and we crank up the volume to let our guests take over the dance floor!

Participating embassies: Belgium, Benin, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Canada-Quebec, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cyprus, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, France, Gabon, Georgia, Guinea, Haiti, Laos, Lebanon, Mali, Monaco, Mozambique, Niger, Romania, Senegal, Slovenia, Switzerland, Togo, and Tunisia.

VIDEOS FROM PREVIOUS YEARS

2011: www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDGY4n-Qq2A

2010: www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2iMv-xxJ6I

ADDRESS / PARKING / PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION / CAB SERVICE

1) La Maison Francaise is located at the Embassy of France, 4101 Reservoir Rd., NW, Washington, DC 20007.

2) If driving, street parking will be available on Reservoir Road and throughout the surrounding neighborhoods. Also, there is a pay lot located across the street at Georgetown University Hospital.

3) If using public transportation, the D6 Metro Bus drops off directly in front of the Embassy of France.

4) Forget the hassles that come with driving or public transportation and try Uber, an convenient on-demand car service, accessible with your iPhone or Androiddevice. Link: uber.com/invite/p8cwf

SECURITY / CHECK-IN

Please print your tickets and have your ID out and ready when you arrive. It will make check-in a lot easier and faster. All tickets will be scanned following an ID/security check. A coat check will be available.

LINES

The Grande Fête is one of the largest cultural activities organized at the Embassy of France. Consequently, please note that the event is presented as a stand-up cultural festival, designed for you to explore and enjoy all the various participating embassies’ offerings. Since the Grande Fête is well-attended each year, we kindly ask for your patience and understanding when waiting in line to check-in or enjoy food and drinks.

Please note: You must be 21+ to drink alcohol.

DRESS

There is no specific dress attire. Most guests will be coming directly from work and will be sporting their Friday business casual. Some people will be dress up for a night out on the town and others will be wearing the traditional clothes of one of the participating countries.

RAFFLE

This year’s raffle prizes are two pairs of economy class round-trip tickets to Brussels, courtesy of Brussels Airlines (http://www.brusselsairlines.com/). Winners will only have to pay taxes (estimated at $95.87/ticket). Raffle tickets will be sold during the evening (1 ticket for $10 / 3 tickets for $20).

CONCESSIONS / ATM

There will be a table set up to purchase post-10pm drink tickets. Although Maison Francaise has a public ATM, we suggest bringing cash.

EVENT TICKETING / REFUND POLICY

A limited number of tickets are still available. This event is advance purchase only; Tickets will not be available at the door.

Ticket link: http://grandefete2013.eventbrite.com/

Please note: There are no student discounts or special admittance for children. All ticket sales are final. Refunds will not be available.

Francophonie Cultural Festival official website: http://www.francophoniedc.org/