French Activities in Westchester, New York

French cultural activities in Westchester, New York, are common all year round.

Westchester is located just 30 miles north of Manhattan. A county of 450,000 residents, Westchester's diverse population includes a number of people of French or French-Canadian ancestry, many of whom reside in Larchmont. As a result, you can enjoy meals at French bistros as well as other French cultural activities all year round in Larchmont and its adjacent towns.

Film Festival

Held one weekend every Spring at Purchase College in Purchase, New York, the Focus on French Cinema Film Festival is an annual event sponsored by a partnership of organizations that include the governments of Quebec and France. The festival offers a variety of contemporary films from France, Belgium, Quebec and Africa, featuring their actors and directors afterward for question and answer sessions with the audience.

Bastille Day

Bastille Day is a French national holiday celebrated on July 14. Since 2009, the village of Larchmont has thrown a block party along Larchmont Avenue to honor the event. Local merchants lining the street sell French snacks, most notably, Nutella and crepes. There's live music and ample space to play pétanque, a game similar to bocce ball.

French-American School Workshops

Offering a bilingual curriculum to approximately 800 co-ed day students, The French-American School in Mamaroneck also hosts evening and weekend workshops. You can learn to cook with a French chef, do arts and crafts or take French lessons. The school's extracurricular programs provide students as well as members of the community with opportunities to use the French language and expand their knowedge of French and Francophone cultures.

Alliance Française de Westchester

Located in White Plains, Alliance Française de Westchester is a non-profit membership organization that promotes the appreciation of French culture in Westchester County. Members receive access to an extensive library of books by French authors, can take part in French classes as well as a monthly conversation group. Discounts on social and cultural events such as La Chandeleur, an annual mid-winter celebration held in a French restaurant are other reasons to join.

References

• French American School of New York: Children and Adult Workshops
• Alliance Française de Westchester
• Focus on French Cinema