It still baffles me that French culture would be so romanticised it would give rise to an Australian festival – but I can't say I mind

The So Frenchy So Chic festival couldn't have chosen a more apt weekend to arrive in Sydney: the last few days have seen a carnival of clichés about the French parroted left and right following president François Hollande's alleged affair with actress Julie Gayet. You've heard them all before: the French are libertines at heart, French women fear being fat more than they fear death itself, and French kids never say no to vegetables. And as a French woman, the hate/love pull my country seems to have on others continues to elude me.

So it was with amused curiosity that I headed to the festival, not quite sure what to expect. Would everyone be speaking with a fake accent, spear-fighting with baguettes? Would festival goers wear, god forbid, ironic berets and garlic necklaces? Would anyone make jokes about the French losing wars? Would I spend the entire afternoon alternatively cringing and rolling my eyes?

As it turned out, none of the above. Yes, Sydneysiders came in droves to Camperdown sporting their best white and blue stripy t-shirts – I was quickly lost in a sea of them. In fact, a lot of them dressed up to the nines for the occasion: think laid back garden party meet mum-and-dad festival with slightly posh undertones.

French fashion at So Frenchy, So Chic In The Park at St. John's College, Camperdown Photograph: The Guardian/Anna Kucera

Entire families flocked to the face-paint stand, with children excitedly showing off the Eiffel Tower painted on their cheeks, while others played games of pétanque and croquet in the grass - a quaint touch. Picnic blankets were laid on the floor under the baking sun, with every single patch of shade quickly staked and claimed. Most intriguingly of all, artisan florists offered charming flowery headbands (an accessory which became famous after the controversial feminist group Femen started wearing them in France - a fact probably lost on the booth manager). They sold like hot cakes.

I quickly headed to the food and drinks stand for refreshments. The selection at the drinks stand was small but well curated: a very nice Rosé D'enfer from south west France, champagne (of course!) was available for those feeling flush, and ice-cold cranberry and blood orange sodas. The food – mini strawberry tarts, saucisson sandwiches, crêpes and macarons – was quite delightful. I settled on a food truck offering ratatouille provençale on a crispy, cheesy polenta bread; a tour de force with perfect texture and, yes, authentic flavours.

And then, of course, the music. It was a shame that headliner singer-songwriter Lou Doillon – who released a critically-acclaimed album in 2012 – had to cancel her appearance due to illness. How can you get more French then inviting Jane Birkin's daughter and fashion icon to perform?

Babylon Circus performing live on stage at So Frenchy, So Chic In The Park at St. John's College, Camperdown. Photograph: The Guardian/Anna Kucera

Fortunately, the rest of the line up rallied and mostly delivered. Edward Deer sang Mélodie Française classics, and alt pop band Lilly Wood And The Prick performed a decent if slightly subdued set. But it was rapper Féfé and his incredibly energetic band who truly made the day a success. Using a surprising mix of hip-hop, reggae, pop and dubstep, he had the entire audience jumping up and down, singing along, arms waving left and right.

It was truly a sight to behold: the most middle-class Australian crowd you could possibly imagine singing along to French rap from the banlieues, swearing and sunburn be damned. This was followed by the punk-ska-Gypsy-jazz band Babylon Circus, from Lyon, whose energy was equally infectious. While particularly popular with hippy-bohemians in France, their joyous cacophony translated well here: unpretentious, joyous, and quintessentially gallic fun.

At the end of his set, Féfé candidly announced that he "thought the festival would be rubbish", but that it turned out to be quite a fantastic day thanks to the crowd. I knew what he meant. It still slightly baffles me that people would romanticise French culture so much that a festival on the other side of the world would be dedicated to it, but I can't say I mind. In fact, I left the festival secretly proud that some Australians seem to like my country so much, cheating president and all.