Where to Celebrate Bastille Day in the United States?

[:en]

This year in the United States, celebrations of France and its national holiday can be found all over the country. Taking place on or around July 14th, the 228th anniversary of the Storming of the Bastille in Paris and the annual celebration of French independence, cities around America will celebrate with events offering French food, games, music, and, in some cases, replicas of certain French landmarks. Below is our list of Bastille Day festivities taking place in the United States.

=> Did we forget to list your event? Our sincere apologies. Email us at cthiery@france-amerique.com, and we will make sure to fix this unfortunate oversight.

Atlanta, GA

Presented by the Alliance Française of Atlanta and The Atlantan Modern Luxury, this all-white cocktail attire affair is one of Atlanta’s largest public celebration’s commemorating France’s National Holiday. The evening, which will take place at the law offices of Nelson Mullins on July 15, will include a rooftop fashion show, an exclusive silent auction, an open French wine bar with decadent French cuisine, dancing and much more.

Austin, TX

Gather in Triangle Park on July 8 to celebrate with a Bastille Day raffle,  pétanque lessons, a French food & drink court, great entertainment, jugglers, dancing, a Bastille Day Market, French artist and host Sandie Donzica, standards by Priscilla Badhwar & pianist Eddy Hobizal, 1930’s Parisienne jazz by Hot Club of Austin, and iconic French chansons by Julie Slim with Rendez Vous.

Boston, MA

French singers Ben l’Oncle Soul and Daby Touré will take the stage on July 14 as Boston’s French Cultural Center celebrates with a block party that will include French food and dancing.

Charleston, SC

Join the Alliance Française de Charleston and the Charleston Ballroom Dance Chapter at this Bastille Day Dinner and Dance Party on July 14. Begin with waltz lessons, followed by a four-course French dinner and then a can-can dance performance.

Charlotte, NC

Gather at Nevin Community Park on July 16 to celebrate Charlotte’s first French Culture Festival and enjoy great food, wine, crepes, delicious pastries, music, dance and learn pétanque! Spend a fun family-friendly day and learn more about French culture.

Chicago, IL

To commemorate the Storming of the Bastille on July 14, the Lycée Français de Chicago is ambitious! Start with a picnic on the Lycée’s lawn, get your face painted at the “Children’s corner,” play a game of pétanque and enter a raffle to win two Air France tickets to Paris, enjoy an outdoor movie screening, and dance to the beats of French DJ Maxime Bonnard.

Cincinnati, OH

Celebrate Bastille Day on July 14 at Swaim Park at a picnic party with the Alliance Française. Bring your best dish to share as there will be a prize at the end for the most successful one! Games will be organized for children near the dining area.

Dallas, TX

Enjoy a magical evening at the Bishop Arts District on July 14 with entertainment, food, wine, pétanque, and wonderful people as the neighborhood celebrates the beautiful country of France and their traditions. Located in Oak Cliff, the original settlement of the French colony called La Reunion, this neighborhood has picked up the mantle with great pride and love for the French culture.

Houston, TX

Pick up an invitation at the Consulate General of France in Houston to attend the celebration at the Lycée International de Houston on July 14 featuring charcuterie, cheese and Amélie Buron singing La Marseillaise and The Star-Spangled Banner.

Jackson, MS

Wave the tricolore flag, sing  La Marseillaise, and enjoy the food and views of the Jackson Yacht Club, on July 16.

Jersey City, NJ

French-themed booths, food and games will be featured at this celebration of French liberty from the city right next to the Statue of Liberty. VIPs can sip wine and eat cheese while watching the Tour de France. On July 15 at the French American Academy.

Los Angeles, CA

Featuring a red carpet, French-inspired entertainment, French Can-can dancers, live music and a French DJ! The event supported by the Alliance Francais of Los Angeles and Christophe Lemoine, Consul General de France in Los Angeles, will take place on July 14 at the Sofitel Beverly Hills.

Milwaukee, WI

Bastille Days, Milwaukee’s popular French festival and one of the nation’s largest French-themed celebrations, returns to downtown Milwaukee’s Cathedral Square Park, July 13-16. The free four-day bash attracts over 250,000 visitors who enjoy live music, an international marketplace, chef and wine demos, French and Cajun cuisine, roaming busker entertainment and a signature 43-foot Eiffel Tower replica offering hourly light shows.

New Orleans, LA

To kick off the Bastille Day celebrations, the city’s Council of French Societies will lay a wreath at the statue of Jeanne d’Arc in the French Quarter on the morning of July 14. The Bastille Day Fête will then take place at the New Orleans Museum of Art. Guests can dance to music by local band the Bon Bon Vivants and go on guided gallery tours.

New York, NY

For over 20 years, Bastille Day on 60th Street, presented by the  French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF), has been New York’s largest public celebration of France’s Independence Day and its historic friendship with the United States. Abounding with French cuisine, music, dance, and myriad attractions for the whole family, this three-block fête populaire invites New Yorkers on July 9 to revel in the flavors, sounds, and joie de vivre of France!

French eatery OCabanon will offer a special “Menu Provence” for all of Bastille Week and on July 13, the band “Les Incognitos” will play and a complementary French-themed gift bag will be offered to all guests.

On the evening of July 13, don’t miss the annual Bastille Day Ball, which has been taking place since 1924. The event will feature Chloé Perrier and the French Heart Jazz Band and DJ Olivier Meiji playing until midnight.

On July 16, New Yorkers will converge to Bar Tabac in Brooklyn for a game of pétanque! For the past 15 years, 72 teams of three people have competed on sand courts on Smith Street to celebrate Bastille Day in what has become one of the largest pétanque tournaments in the country. An expected 20,000 people will show up to eat, drink, and celebrate.

Newport Beach, CA

The Alliance Française of Orange County will celebrate summer break and Bastille Day with an open house and a photo contest titled “France by Americans” on July 13.

Oklahoma City, OK

This festival features a Bastille Day photo booth, mime shows, a waiter’s race contest, live music and an artists’ marketplace. It takes place on July 14 at the Photo Art Studio within the framework of LIVE! On The Plaza, The Plaza District’s regular art walk.

Pittsburgh, PA

To celebrate the French national day, the Centre Francophone de Pittsburgh will organize a potluck dinner, a book swap and a pétanque tournament in Firemen’s Memorial Park on July 14. Bring your own beverages!

Philadelphia, PA

On July 15, Eastern State Penitentiary will be teaming up with the Bearded Ladies, an experimental cabaret troupe, to present the entire French Revolution in an hour-long spectacle of song, dance, and raining Tastykakes for the penitentiary’s 23rd annual Bastille Day festival. This “completely historically accurate” reenactment of the storming of the Bastille will be emceed by the voice of Paris herself, Edith Piaf, and will include appearances by Joan of Arc, Benjamin Franklin, Sojourner Truth, and a six-foot French Baguette.

Phoenix, AZ

A painting exhibition and a “food & wine reception” will be held at the Alliance Française of Greater Phoenix on July 14. Don’t miss the macaron tasting, and reach out to the organizers if you want to play music at the event!

Portland, OR

The Alliance Française de Portland will hold “the West Coast’s largest Bastille Day” in Jamison Square on Saturday, July 15. Be ready for a waiters’ race, French-themed menu options from a selection of local restaurants, live music, and a pétanque and fencing tournament.

San Francisco, CA

To celebrate Bastille Day like in the old days, the Committee of French-American Organizations of the Bay Area will hold a large fête populaire on the Embarcadero on July 15 which will feature the best of French and Amercan food, live performances, and a ball. 

Located at the heart of San Francisco’s original “French Quarter,” Belden Place is also a great place to celebrate on July 14th. The block will be decorated to look both authentic and boisterous and everyone is welcome to enjoy all things French with the historic restaurants and shops on the block.

Seattle, WA

Toast the arrival of summer at the Alliance Française de Seattle’s annual Bastille Day Party on Thursday, July 13. Enjoy Woodhouse wines, hors d’oeuvres, and a “Find the French” blind tasting competition. Join the Alliance choir in signing La Marseillaise and celebrate the French national holiday in style.

Stamford, CT

This all-day celebration on July 16th is hosted by Chez Vous Bistro in partnership with the Alliance Française in Greenwich. There will be pétanque, music, dance and food at this afternoon of French fun for the whole family.

Washington, D.C.

Celebrate the most Francophone city in the United States, New Orleans, with food, music and auctions at this event hosted by the Embassy of France in Washington D.C. on July 15. Featured dishes include Bourbon Street spice chicken, New Orleans-style shrimp and grits as well as vegetarian options.

Also in Washington D.C., the Hillwood Estate, Museums & Gardens’ French Festival on July 15 is a family-friendly affair where visitors can enjoy period entertainment such as baroque music and dance as well as meet French nobles, a costumed theater troupe, who will be strolling around the gardens. Cereal heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post’s renowned collection of 18th-century French decorative arts will be on display.

Lastly, Bistrot Du Coin, a 17-year-old traditional french bistro, is holding a party on July 14th for Bastille Day. The bistro also holds parties for Beaujolais Nouveau and New Year’s Eve that celebrate French culture in an unforgettable manner.   

[:]