Christmas Mini-Camp 4 days: Vive Noël

Institut français d'Écosse is running a four-day Christmas mini-camp for children aged 3 to 5, starting on 7 December 2026. It's called Vive Noël, and the whole thing is built around introducing little ones to French through art, games and songs rather than sitting at desks. Over the four days, the kids get to pick up the basics of the language by doing things — painting, playing and singing — so it's more of a creative workshop than a formal class. If you've got a preschooler who's never encountered French before, this is a gentle way to get them started.

The camp is held at the Institut français d'Écosse, at West Parliament Square in Edinburgh Old Town. It's a spot with a fair bit of history behind it: they've been promoting French language and culture in Scotland since 1946, and they're part of the wider Institut Français network around the world. Every room in the building is named after a remarkable figure, and this year they're celebrating their 80th anniversary with a week of special events that look back at their role in bringing France and Scotland closer.

That's just the mini-camp side of things, though. The Institut does a lot more than this one event. They run a full programme of talks, live music, theatre, film screenings, library collections and festivals. On the learning side, they offer French courses for all ages and levels, from group classes for adults and young learners to private tuition and tailored corporate courses, as well as e-learning through their partnership with Gymglish. They're also the official exam centre for the DELF-DALF and eTEF diplomas awarded by the French Ministry of Education, and they prepare students for Scottish national exams. More than 1,200 people choose to learn French there every year, so this mini-camp is just one small part of what they do.

To recap: Vive Noël runs for four days from 7 December at the Institut français d'Écosse in Edinburgh Old Town, and it's for children aged 3 to 5.