They came to celebrate French culture, but found themselves closing their teary eyes for a minute's silence.
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A sombre mood settled over the Bastille Day French Festival at the State Library on Saturday, as Melbourne's French community mourned the 84 dead and 100 injured in the Nice attack.
"France is experiencing another nightmare," France's ambassador to Australia, Christophe Lecourtier, told the crowd.
"Today is a day of mourning and it also a day of anger. And it is the third one in less than 18 months."
He said terrorists despised the principles of liberty, equality and fraternity and had once again tried to attack them.
Hundreds gathered outside the grand building, underneath a looming sculpture of Joan of Arc valiantly riding her horse, for the official opening of the festival.
Some wore "I love Paris" t-shirts and clutched brown paper bags filled with croissants, while others rugged up in berets and scarves. The two day event was meant to be a celebration of all things French – cheese, wine and culture.
Creative Industries Minister Martin Foley also took to the stage, describing the Nice attack as an "appalling and unforgivable act of terror and murder".
"We insist that this Bastille Day go ahead as planned but perhaps with that pall hanging over it," he said.
Aurelien Prevot, a 28-year-old from south-west France who works in Melbourne as a computer scientist, said he came to the festival to "share the grief" and honour French culture.
"I wonder when this is going to stop?" he said.
"I know the international community is doing everything to fight terrorism and try to avoid these vicious attacks. But I don't know what else we can do about it."
His girlfriend Soraya said her friends back home felt unsafe.
First there was the Charlie Hebdo massacre, then the Paris attack in November and now this.
"You go out and you never know when it will strike," the 26-year-old Parisian said.
"You are celebrating and watching the fireworks and then there's death and you can't avoid it. It keeps happening and it is sad."
There was a moving version of the French and Australian national anthems before spectators dispersed into the library to welcome distractions, like salted caramel stalls, screenings of French films and cheese master classes.
