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Bastille Days
Save the date for Bastille Days 2012, July 12-15!
Bastille Days returns July 14-17, 2011. Bastille Days is North America's largest outdoor French themed festival held in downtown Milwaukee in Cathedral Square Park. 2011 marks our 30th Anniversary and we plan to celebrate with all the old favorites and some new twists! Enjoy a variety of entertainment options, roaming minstrels, activities for the kids, great food and much more! You could even enter to win a Trip to Paris!
Also new this year is the Bastille Days Wine Tasting! Sample some delicious varietals from California, France and beyond!
General Information
Bastille Days is located in Downtown Milwaukee and centered around Cathedral Square Park, providing a unique setting that both residents and visitors of East Town, always find charming.
The festival began in 1982 as a way to promote the downtown business district and encourage visitors to explore this neighborhood. At the time, the President of the East Town Association was a French transplant to Milwaukee and the group decided to create a festival that celebrates the French heritage present in Milwaukee. Today Milwaukee is known affectionately as the city of festivals and a variety of ethnicities are represented throughout the summer.
The event is known for the impromptu street performers, roaming minstrels, a variety of interactive and musical entertainment, and the signature 43-foot Eiffel Tower replica. Bastille Days also boasts a wide variety of some of the best restaurant vendors in Milwaukee!
Visitors to Bastille Days are invited to explore this Parisian playground, participate in mini-French lessons, see an authentic French mass, listen to local, regional and national bands, laugh at the spills and thrills of the Waiter/Waitress race and make sure to have a beignet before heading home.
Of course it wouldn't be Bastille Days if there weren't a Storming of the Bastille, which in Milwaukee translates into a 5k "fun run" which kicks off the festival each year on the Thursday evening at 9pm.
Festival hours are 11am to 11pm Thursday through Saturday and 11am to 9pm on Sunday.
The festival is free and open to the public.
For directions to Cathedral Square Park, CLICK HERE.
BASTILLE DAYS FACTS
Bastille Days celebrates its 31st anniversary in 2012.
The first Bastille Days took place July 17 & 18 in 1982.
The first Bastille Days was located on Jefferson Street directly in front of George Watts & Son.
The Storm the Bastille started in 1985.
Today Bastille Days has four stages and occupies eight city blocks.
Average participation in the Storm the Bastille is now over 5,000.
