Indo-French fest, celebrating the past heritage and signalling a collaborative future, gets under way in Puducherry

Indo-French Festival 2025 celebrates shared heritage with art, culture, and cuisine, fostering stronger bilateral ties and tourism opportunities.

“The Indo-French Festival 2025 — A Touch of France,” a three-day extravaganza showcasing art, culture and cuisine, got under way here on Friday, as a celebration of a shared past heritage and to signal a stronger collaborative future.

Hosted by the Department of Tourism in collaboration with the French Consulate, the fete will feature an array of events, including a spectacular Guignol parade, giant puppet shows, live music concerts, street performances and gastronomy workshops.

The festival also marks the reactivation, since the disruption of COVID-19 pandemic, of the people-to-people ties, a vital ingredient of the decades-spanning bilateral partnership (upgraded to a strategic partnership in 1998), and the over three century-old ties between France and its erstwhile governorate.

Inaugurating the festival, Lieutenant Governor K. Kailashnathan, noted that the historical connection of Puducherry with France dated back to the 17th century and the legacy of French rule continued for nearly three centuries from 1674 to 1954.

Puducherry, which houses 5,000 of the approximately 6,500 registered French expatriates, still remains a living example of the confluence of two distinct yet harmonious cultures and had adopted French as one of its official languages.

“While walking through the streets of Puducherry, one is transported to an era where Indo-French architecture, cuisine and traditions flourished side by side. This heritage is not merely a relic of the past; it continuous to shape our present and inspire our future,” he said. “Our partnership is not confined to the past. It is an evolving relationship that continues to grow stronger with each passing year. It is our responsibility to nurture this bond, ensuring that the Indo-French connection remains vibrant and dynamic”.

Chief Minister N. Rangasamy underscored the close historical ties between Puducherry and France and the relationship that continued to flourish. He noted that there was a surging interest among tourists to visit the city. He also pointed to the international travel guide, Lonely Planet, ranking Puducherry second, only behind Toulouse, France, on the list of the top globally trending must-visit destinations for 2025.