From 10 to 13 September 2026, Paris hosts the 10th International Village of Gastronomy, bringing together cuisines, producers and traditions from around the world.
From 10 to 13 September 2026, Place de la Concorde will host the tenth edition of the International Village of Gastronomy. Launched in 2016 with 25 participating countries, the event had grown to 63 countries and more than 54,000 visitors by 2025. For its anniversary edition, it is expanding again. The latest communications refer to 73 participating countries, a major Village France section, more than 200 scheduled events, cooking demonstrations, masterclasses, concerts and the second Private Chef World Cup. Italy will be the guest of honour, only months after Italian cuisine was added to UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Alain Ducasse will serve as patron. Another notable addition is the first Marché des Producteurs Médaillés, bringing award-winning French producers directly to the public. Beyond its international food stalls, the event is increasingly positioning itself as a showcase for culinary heritage, craftsmanship and transmission.
The tenth anniversary turns Place de la Concorde into a global dining room
For four days, Place de la Concorde will become one of the world’s largest public gatherings devoted to culinary cultures.
The International Village of Gastronomy 2026 will run from Thursday 10 September to Sunday 13 September, with opening hours announced from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Its growth over the past decade has been substantial. When the event was created in 2016, 25 countries took part. By 2025, that figure had risen to 63, while organisers reported more than 54,000 visitors.
For 2026, recent communications refer to 73 represented countries.
The organisers’ own material is not entirely consistent, however. Some pages on the official website now refer to more than 80 countries. The most accurate description is therefore that more than 70 national delegations are expected, rather than presenting a single number as definitive while the final list may still evolve.
Among the countries announced are Afghanistan, Brazil, Cambodia, China, Colombia, South Korea, Côte d’Ivoire, Georgia, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Kenya, Lebanon, Madagascar, Morocco, Mexico, Oman, Peru, the Philippines, Senegal, Thailand and Vietnam.
The concept goes beyond selling dishes. Delegations are expected to present recipes, ingredients, culinary techniques, regional products and traditions.
That distinction matters. The event is not simply an international food court. It uses gastronomy as a direct expression of cultural identity.
The Italian presence arrives at a particularly significant moment
Italy has been chosen as guest of honour for an edition that comes at an unusually favourable time.
In December 2025, UNESCO inscribed “Italian cuisine, between sustainability and biocultural diversity” on its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
The recognition was not granted to a collection of famous dishes. UNESCO focused instead on a social and cultural practice built around ingredients, artisanal techniques, respect for raw materials, anti-waste traditions and, crucially, the transmission of knowledge between generations.
That distinction is important.
Italian cuisine was not recognised simply because pizza, pasta or risotto are popular around the world. It was recognised as a living cultural heritage.
The International Village of Gastronomy intends to reflect that broader interpretation through producers, chefs and regional products from different parts of Italy.
The timing also coincides with renewed attention to the historic relationship between Paris and Rome, adding a diplomatic and cultural dimension to the Italian presence.
Giving Italy a central role also provides the event with a clear editorial thread. Without one, a gathering of dozens of national cuisines could easily become a sequence of disconnected stands.
The Village France puts producers and crafts back at the centre
The international character of the event does not marginalise French gastronomy.
On the contrary, organisers are planning a substantial Village France dedicated to regional products, producers and culinary expertise.
The anniversary edition also introduces “Le Monde des Savoir-Faire”, a programme bringing together more than 40 professions across eight broad themes.
Farmers, livestock breeders, market gardeners, cheesemakers, bakers, butchers, fishmongers, artisans and food-distribution professionals will appear alongside chefs and restaurateurs.
The message is straightforward: gastronomy begins long before a plate reaches a dining table.
It depends on a complete chain of expertise, from agriculture and processing to preparation and service.
Alain Ducasse is therefore a logical patron for this tenth edition. His work has long extended beyond restaurants into chocolate and coffee manufacturing, culinary education, publishing and broader debates about products and food systems.
His presence reinforces one of the event’s central ideas: great cuisine begins with ingredients and those who produce them.
The first award-winning producers’ market gives medals a practical meaning
On 12 and 13 September, the Village will also host the first Marché des Producteurs Médaillés, or Award-Winning Producers’ Market.
The concept is to bring together producers recognised by the Concours Général Agricole and allow visitors to discover and purchase their products directly.
Products announced include Périgord walnut oil, Isigny butter and Damoiseau rum.
The initiative is more significant than it may initially appear.
Agricultural competitions generate thousands of medals and distinctions, but those awards only become meaningful to consumers when they help identify a producer, a region and a specific product.
The new market provides exactly that point of contact.
It therefore adds both a commercial and an educational layer to the event. Visitors are not merely invited to taste. They can also understand why a product has been rewarded and who produced it.
The demonstrations are becoming increasingly technical and competitive
The 2026 programme is expected to include more than 200 events, ranging from live cooking demonstrations and masterclasses to debates, workshops, concerts, parades, literary discussions and book signings.
The Private Chef World Cup introduces a more explicitly competitive dimension.
For its second edition, the competition is expected to bring together 18 private chefs. Qualification rounds will take place on 11 and 12 September, followed by a five-chef final on 13 September.
Contestants will not be assessed solely on flavour.
Technique, creativity, organisation, service, presentation and the ability to pass knowledge on to an assistant will also form part of the judging criteria.
That reflects the reality of private-chef work.
Cooking well is only one part of the job. A private chef must manage purchasing, preparation, timing, equipment, plating and service, often while adapting to an unfamiliar kitchen and a demanding client environment.
The format therefore offers the public a more realistic view of a profession usually seen only through the finished plate.
The festival is increasingly becoming a platform for culinary heritage
The International Village of Gastronomy remains designed as a public event.
Admission is priced at €7, with a €5 rate for students and holders of a French mobility inclusion card. Entry is free for children under 12.
But after ten years, the event now has ambitions that extend beyond the conventional model of a Paris food festival.
Its strongest proposition is the connection between three ideas that are too often treated separately: eating, understanding and transmitting.
International cuisines attract visitors. Producers explain where ingredients come from. Chefs demonstrate techniques. Craftspeople give concrete meaning to words such as “heritage” and “know-how”.
That matters at a time when recipes circulate almost instantly across borders through social media and online video.
Making a cuisine visible is no longer difficult.
The harder task is explaining where it comes from, who produces it and how it survives over time.
For its tenth anniversary, that is where the International Village of Gastronomy appears to be placing its real ambition.