Dreamed of seeing the Eiffel Tower? Hankering for a handcrafted beignet or crêpe? Want to watch waiters and waitresses race while balancing full wine glasses on a tray? Then look no further than Milwaukee, home to one of the nation’s largest French-themed celebrations, Bastille Days, taking place this year July 14-17.
This free four-day festival presented by East Town Association attracts more than 250,000 visitors annually to Cathedral Square Park with its four stages of nonstop live music; chef, wine, beer and spirit demos and tastings; impromptu street performers and roaming buskers; an international marketplace boasting more than 90 merchant booths; nearly 30 local restaurants serving up French and Cajun cuisine; and the festival’s signature 43-foot Eiffel Tower replica offering hourly light shows.
In celebration of Bastille Days’ 35th anniversary, Milwaukee Brewing Co. has created an exclusive Bastille Days Saison-style ale flavored with Meyer lemon, tangerine and lime peel and fermented with Belgian candi sugar, offering a warm crisp flavor that offers hints of stone fruit, pear and citrus. “We are very lucky to have Milwaukee Brewing make a special Bastille Day brew for us,” says Milwaukee’s East Town Association Executive Director Kim Morris. The ceremonial tapping of the keg by Mayor Tom Barrett will take place at the Madison Medical Beaux Arts Stage at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 14. Guests will get an up-close look at the beer’s firkin keg, receive an informative demo detailing the careful production steps and receive samples as the supply lasts.
East Town Association has also created a smartphone app for Bastille Days this year, which allows guests to instantly access festival information and includes a map of the event grounds, stage schedules and restaurant menus. For those joining the festivities for the first time, Morris recommends “starting at one end and working your way through the wonderful restaurants, entertainment stages, vendors and always great people watching.” She shares a few new restaurant highlights this year including Maxie’s, Press Handcrafted Waffles and Rumpus Room.
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“We are always delighted to have new quality local restaurants show off their spin on anything to do with French cuisine—Creole included!” Morris says. The international marketplace will also feature new vendors offering handmade wood cutting boards and leather goods in addition to returning merchants providing Provencal fabrics, soaps, cards, arts, jewelry, clothing and more.
If you’re looking for activities to take part in, Bastille Days is the place for you. Consider joining Bastille Days’ 32nd annual Storm the Bastille Run/Walk at 9 p.m. on Thursday, July 14 (beginning at the corner of Jefferson and Wells streets). Registration is $20 in advance or $25 day of. Or catch some national music acts at the event’s four stages, including Dirty Bourbon River Show, Royal Southern Brotherhood, Dwayne Dopsie and the Zydeco Hellraisers and Sweet Crude. “We have had national acts before, but this year we are especially excited about our French, jazz, folk, world, Cajun, zydeco and rock entertainment,” shares Morris. Also exciting to watch is the Waiter Waitress Race at 3 p.m. on Sunday, July 17, where the best waiters and waitresses tackle an intricate obstacle course while balancing full wine glasses.
“We are very lucky to provide this free festival to the community in the heart of the city each year with help from the city, county and all our wonderful sponsors and partners,” says Morris. “It’s very rewarding to see so many smiling faces each year. We have seen people get engaged under the Eiffel Tower and many reunions in that memorable spot.”
The East Town Association returns proceeds from the event to the community through neighborhood improvement programs and other free events, such as Jazz in the Park, Cathedral Square Market and Coffee Connections. Morris adds that they also have supported the Downtown Trolley, made donations to the River Walk District and have Athletes for Autism and Open Door Café listed for donations in this year’s Storm the Bastille Run/Walk registrations.
To learn more about Bastille Days and East Town Association, visit bastilledaysfestival.com and easttown.com.
