fête champêtre

American  

[fet shahn-pe-tr^uh] / fɛt ʃɑ̃ˈpɛ trə /

noun

French.

plural

fêtes champêtres

1. an outdoor festival or a garden party.

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fête champêtre British  

/ fɛt ʃɑ̃pɛtrə /

noun

1. a garden party, picnic, or similar outdoor entertainment

2. Also: fête galante.  arts

   1. a genre of painting popular in France from the early 18th century, characterized by the depiction of figures in pastoral settings. Watteau was its most famous exponent

   2. a painting in this genre

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Etymology

Origin of fête champêtre

C18: from French, literally: country festival

Example Sentences

Another revelation is "Fête Champêtre," or "Country Festival," a suite of seven paintings that formerly decorated an English country house.

From Los Angeles Times

It swelled to 100 guests and was followed by two dinners and a fête champêtre in England.

From New York Times

It is fête champêtre, not fête champêre.

From New York Times

Now and then a maroon party, or West Indian fête champetre, is given; when groups of beautiful girls and gallant youths, stayed matrons, and gentlemen of riper years, assemble together, with full purpose to enjoy the passing hours.

From Project Gutenberg

Here our young men enjoyed, as they supposed, a glimpse of American society, which was distributed over the measureless expanse in a variety of sedentary attitudes and appeared to consist largely of pretty young girls, dressed as for a fête champêtre, swaying to and fro in rocking-chairs, fanning themselves with large straw fans and enjoying an enviable exemption from social cares. 

From Project Gutenberg