Every Bastille Day, Kangaroo Valley bursts into vibrant celebration with the Friendly Inn Hotel Bastille Day Pétanque Festival. This lively event is a tribute to French culture, filled with colour, camaraderie, and culinary delights, beer, baguettes, and bravado in abundance!

Set in the expansive beer garden of the Friendly Inn Hotel, the festival offers a mix of live music, coffee, pastries and baguettes. It’s a warm and welcoming atmosphere for participants and spectators.



At the heart of the festivities is the game of pétanque (pronounced pay-TONK), a classic French sport similar to boules (pronounced BOOL). Played with metal balls, the objective is to toss the boule from a stationary position within a hoop, aiming to land as close as possible to the target ball on a 4-metre-wide, 15-metre-long pitch. Each team gets six throws, earning points for each boule closer to the target than the opponent’s. Skilful players can even knock their rival’s boule away, adding a strategic twist and much excitement to the game.

The Coffin Cheaters rightfully won “best dressed” - Supplied by Donna Portland

This year saw 28 teams of 6 to 8 members each. This festival draws crowds from near and far. Last year I thought one team’s drive from Wollongong was considerable, but this year met a team that had come all the way from Bathurst!

Each year I am invited to play by my friends up the hill, the spirited ‘Beasts of Burrawang’ as I am adept at hurling heavy metal balls. Although this does get more difficult as the day goes on, depending on how much beer is consumed. 

Winning team: “Valley Gold”- Supplied by the Friendly Inn

Teams often embrace the festive spirit by dressing up in imaginative costumes. Participants range from Marie Antoinette accompanied by aristocrats with white curly wigs, white faces and rouge cheeks, to men in cow onesies or aviator suits.

Though the Beasts played valiantly, we didn’t make it to the semifinals this year, unlike our impressive run last year. After a marathon of seven games, it was a bit disappointing, but we’ve learned a valuable lesson: next year, we’ll fully embrace the spirit of the event with costumes. I’ve proposed that we don French poodle onesies, complete with berets and faces painted in the tricolour of the French flag.

Congratulations to Valley Gold for their triumph in winning the tournament! The Beasts will return next year, aiming for greater accuracy with our boules and sporting our poodle suits.

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A shoutout to Kiama, Gerringong, and Jamberoo - surely, there are pétanque enthusiasts in these areas ready to form a competitive team!