Top U.S. Spots to Celebrate Bastille Day: Festivities from New York to Los Angeles
July 14 marks the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille, a defining moment in the French Revolution. While Paris dazzles with Eiffel Tower fireworks, the U.S. offers equally vibrant celebrations. Many events span entire weekends, blending French culture with American flair. Discover six standout destinations from Nashville to New York.
New York City
The French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF) hosts New York’s largest public Bastille Day event—a lively three-block street party on East 60th Street off Fifth Avenue. Partnering with the Côte d’Azur tourism board, expect specialty foods from Jacques Torres Chocolate and Laduréee, wine tastings, music, shopping, and raffles for prizes like dinners at French restaurants or trips to Cannes. Bonne chance!
Milwaukee
Milwaukee’s annual East Town Bastille Days festival spans Thursday to Sunday in Cathedral Square Park, drawing around 250,000 attendees. Highlights include roaming minstrels, French and Cajun cooking demos, wine tastings, and a 43-foot Eiffel Tower replica with hourly light shows.
Nashville
The Alliance Française de Nashville hosts its annual French Fest on Bastille Day Eve in Sevier Park. This free, dog-friendly event features a French-inspired food market, wine and bourbon tastings, a mini Tour de France, and live performances by French singers and bands—perfect for families and Francophiles alike in Music City.
St. Louis
St. Louis delivers a lavish, Marie Antoinette-inspired Bastille Day Celebration at the historic Chatillon-DeMenil Mansion, built by French immigrants in the 1800s. Enjoy costumed period dancing, military reenactments, a balcony rendition of the French national anthem, and appearances by Louis XVI and Madame Déficit. Shout “Liberté! Égalité! Fraternité!” amid cannon fire.
Los Angeles
Music enthusiasts will love the California Philharmonic’s Bastille Day concert featuring symphonies by Romantic-era composers Camille Saint-Saëns and Hector Berlioz, plus excerpts from Les Misérables with award-winning soloists and choirs. (Tickets available here.)
