Snuggly Christmas jumpers, crackling fires and melted cheese fondue aren’t the usual markers of an Aussie Christmas, but that doesn’t stop most of us dreaming of them. For everyone Down Under who feels cheated out of a wintery Yuletide fest, look no further than this Xmas in July festival going down in Australia’s answer to a freezing European village – Canberra.
Kicking off from Thursday, June 29 and running until Sunday, July 2, ‘Xmas in July 2023’ will bring a gorgeous array of torched marshmallows and (boozy) hot chocolates, melted French cheeses, more than 80 pop-up French and European food stalls, fire pits, a mulled wine garden, free French cabaret shows and all-round Christmas market vibes (complete with legit falling 'snow') to Canberra’s Parkes Place lawn. And it's free entry. Joyeux Noël.
Festival-goers can expect to wander through an open-air market peppered with stalls selling gorgeous homewares, French saucisson, truffle oils, artisan chocolate and (did we mention this?) a lot of cheese, in a whole lot of delicious and different forms. You’ll also get the chance to get properly festive with live DJs, a free cabaret show on Thursday, June 29 at 6pm, and live music that’ll be going all day long.
If you like the idea of celebrating Christmas twice in one year, eating your body weight in hot French cheese, twirling beneath fairy lights and basically having a jolly good time, you may want to think about travelling down south for this four-day festival of food, wine and excellent vibes. If there’s one thing for sure, it’s cheaper than booking a trip to Strasbourg.
