From Line Renaud’s year-long engagement at the Dunes in the 1960s to the replica of the Eiffel Tower that stands outside the Paris Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas has a rich history of ties to Francophone culture. French cuisine is served in the finest restaurants in town, and the French-Canadian company Cirque du Soleil and its breathtaking shows have been a Las Vegas fixture since the 1990s. Nowadays, the Alliance Française is the heart of the local Francophone community, bringing together students, members, artists, partners, and local entrepreneurs to create new bonds and promote French language and culture.

Founded as the Académie Francophone in 2013 by a group of French educators and language enthusiasts, this nonprofit earned the Alliance Française title in 2017 for its excellence in teaching and deep engagement with the French and Francophone community. One of the youngest Alliances in the United States, AFLV managed to overcome the pandemic by renewing and adapting its teaching techniques and offering a variety of attractive cultural events online, ranging from book presentations to a perfume masterclass and a French barbecue demonstration.

After more than a year of virtual lessons, AFLV reopened its in-person operations in August 2021. Every week, new students are registering for group, private, or semi-private lessons. Adults enjoy meeting new people and having face-to-face contact with instructors. Children love being able to sing songs, play with friends, and have fun while they learn. The reopening also brought back the opportunity for Nevadans to officially certify their French level with the DELF/DALF exams – the first session in two years was held last December. Another long-awaited comeback was French Movie Night, in partnership with the French Department of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and the French Institute’s IFCinéma. Once a month, French cinema fans can enjoy a free screening of the latest French films. This event has been the perfect occasion for the Francophile community to get back together.

Even with the possibility to attend in-person lessons, most current students have stayed online, since they love the experience of learning with digital and interactive tools from the comfort of their homes, many of them located throughout Nevada and the world! Even with a dynamic return to in-person activities, AFLV has decided to continue offering online French lessons for all ages developed by expert instructors, along with exciting online conferences and workshops throughout 2022.