French festival returns to Kaohsiung with more delights

Taipei, May 11 (CNA) The second edition of the Kaohsiung French Festival will take place in the southern port city on May 23 to promote French culture with a variety of activities ranging from art and sports to gastronomy.

According to the French Office in Taipei, the festival will return to Kaohsiung from May 23 to 25, offering an "even richer cultural experience" that builds on the success of last year's event, which attracted around 110,000 visitors over three days.

The French office added that the upcoming event would serve as a testament to the deepening cooperation between France and Kaohsiung.

The three-day event at the city's Pier-2 Art Center features outdoor concerts, a market with around 100 French and Taiwanese brands, drawing workshops, pétanque games, and virtual reality (VR) film screenings, among other activities.

For this year's festival, French illustrator Christopher Boyd will also showcase his artwork which highlights the beauty of the French Riviera and the importance of maritime conservation, according to the French office.

Such visuals for the event are intended to echo the 2025 United Nations Ocean Conference, which is scheduled to take place in the coastal city of Nice, in southern France, from June 9 to 13, the office added.

The event is organized by the French Office in Taipei -- which represents Paris' interest in Taiwan in the absence of diplomatic ties between the two sides -- in collaboration with the Kaohsiung City Government and the Association of French Nationals in Taiwan.