Rarely is Le Quesnoy more vibrant than around Anzac Day. For a century, this little French town 19,000 km from Aotearoa has come together with its Kiwi friends to commemorate its liberators from the uttermost ends of the Earth.
Anzac Day 2026 was only the third edition of this special date since Te Arawhata opened, and yet traditions have already started to build, with our full weekend of commemorative events.
Last Post Ceremony
The weekend began with a solemn ceremony recalling the bugle calls of the close of a day’s combat. The Last Post rang out across the Te Arawhata forecourt and more than 150 attendees.
The Ode of Remembrance was then read in French, Te Reo Māori and English by Anne-Marie Pottier, Tama Potaka and Lily Bartlett. The crowd confirmed in unison that “we will remember them”.
This ceremony was followed by an incredible and lively kapa haka performance from members of the London Māori Club, Ngāti Rānana, and a relaxed and friendly reception designed to create connections which would be strengthened across the weekend.
Poppies and Poetry
Le Quesnoy was shrouded in fog on the morning of Saturday 25 April. Despite the gloomy, brooding weather, some 25 visitors joined us at the Le Quesnoy Communal Cemetery Extension to pay their respects to the 138 Commonwealth soldiers buried there, including 50 New Zealanders.
Two of the visitors were Paul and Lisa Clark. Paul and Lisa made the trip from Hamilton, New Zealand to spend Anzac Day in Le Quesnoy, where Paul’s grandfather Horatio Clark won a Distinguished Conduct Medal on 4 November 1918.
Paul read the citation detailing Horatio’s heroics on that fateful day, but also shared stories of the man he knew as his grandad. Lamb roasts with all the trimmings; treasured preserves served with vanilla ice cream.
Paul’s words reminded visitors that the soldiers were humble men who, if lucky enough, went home to carry on their lives, raise families, and build our country.
Attendees then heard Wilfred Owen’s poem The Send Off and were invited to lay poppies at the graves of the fallen. Perhaps one of the most moving parts of the weekend fittingly opened the events of Anzac Day proper.
Tours of the Museum and Ramparts
Across the weekend, the Te Arawhata team offered visits of the Museum and the ramparts of Le Quesnoy.
Visitors were given deep insights into not only aspects of the Museum, but the themes and ideology behind them.
Out in the ramparts, tours retraced the steps of the New Zealand soldiers, retelling the key moments of launch, approach and then the famous ladder ascent.
Le Quesnoy-Nouvelle-Zélande Association lunch and film screening
For 26 years now, the Le Quesnoy-Nouvelle-Zélande Association has hosted New Zealanders for an annual Anzac Day picnic. Te Arawhata is delighted to be able to collaborate with this special organisation which continued this tradition at the Le Quesnoy Town Hall.
Kiwi visitors were treated to filled baguettes and local apples before a screening of Peter Jackson’s documentary They Shall Not Grow Old.
The Anzac Dinner
A central moment of Anzac Day in Le Quesnoy is the annual Anzac Dinner. Around 150 guests attended this year’s three-course meal, with locals and Kiwis sat together at Le Quesnoy’s Centre Lowendal.
The dinner was opened by our wonderful MC, Te Arawhata’s own Lindsay Vanstavel, and then with speeches by Te Arawhata Director Elizabeth Wratislav, New Zealand Ambassador to France Joanna Kempkers, Mayor Marie-Sophie Lesne and LQNZ Association President Jean-Philippe Froment.
However, the night really came to life during our two performances.
First, Ngāti Rānana returned following a powerful haka powhiri and karanga to perform waiata, poi and haka.
To round out their set, Ngāti Rānana invited Kiwis to join them onstage for Tutira Mai Ngā Iwi, one of New Zealand’s most beloved waiata which speaks about community and interconnectivity.
Next, Auckland-raised and London-based soprano Alexis Francis brought tears to guests’ eyes as she sang three songs with piano accompaniment from local musician Nathan Degrande. The connection of people hailing from opposite ends of the world was magical, particularly during their performance of Pokarekare Ana, which was particularly moving for locals who have heard this song played in Le Quesnoy for decades.
Before long, barriers (including those of language) were down and Kiwis and Quercitains enjoyed a beautiful night of friendship and remembrance.
Te Arawhata gives a special mention of thanks to JANE Traiteur, our wonderful caterer; students from the Institut Ste Jeanne d’Arc for their exceptional work waiting tables; LocaDéco for the stunning fitout of the room; and Te Arawhata’s apprentice Léonie Vandeputte who ran an exceptional event.
Official Commemorations
The conclusion of three days’ remembrance came with the traditional official commemorations held on the Sunday closest to 25 April. More than 300 people attended an emotional service which passed from Te Arawhata in front of Le Quesnoy’s commemorative monuments and up to the Town Hall, where speeches were followed by light refreshments.
Again, Ngāti Rānana tied this meaningful event together with waiata and haka. Their performance will echo through the streets of Le Quesnoy until Anzac Day 2027.
A weekend to remember
Le Quesnoy’s Anzac Day commemorations continue to gather momentum as a must-do event for New Zealanders. In 2026, more than 60 Kiwis came to this little town in the north of France to pay their respects to New Zealand’s war effort. Among them, dozens had personal connections to the story of the liberation, while many more attended to feel closer to their homeland after years of living abroad.
For locals, it is clear that this day is one of the most important in the calendar. Marking Anzac Day is quickly becoming a crucial part of what it is to be Quercitain, and there is a real pride in the connection between Aotearoa and the Town of Oaks, Le Quesnoy.
As events compiled, we saw groups of attendees forming – visitors quickly became acquaintances, and soon after friends. Couples and trios had lunch at Le Quesnoy’s famous bar, Le Māori 2.0. New Zealanders learned the traditional French kisses, la bise. Email addresses and phone numbers were exchanged, creating lasting connections across the globe.
Te Arawhata will again be holding a full weekend of activities to mark the 112th anniversary of Anzac Day in 2027. Tickets typically come on sale early in the year, but you can register your early interest by emailing info@nzliberationmuseum.com.
