What to know about Milwaukee's Bastille Days street festival, from hours to entertainment and food

Hannah Kirby, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
·4 min read
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Kenya Evans enjoys a beignet during Bastille Days in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Thursday, July 11, 2019.
Kenya Evans enjoys a beignet during Bastille Days in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Thursday, July 11, 2019.

Soon, it'll be time to say "Bonjour!" to Bastille Days in downtown Milwaukee once again.

The free, French-themed street festival was canceled the past two summers due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It's scheduled to make its grand return Thursday through Sunday.

Here's what to know about this year's installment, from the food to the entertainment to the popular Storm the Bastille 5K.

When is Bastille Days?

11 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday.

Where is Bastille Days?

Cathedral Square Park, 520 E. Wells St., and its perimeter. There will also be a stage on Wells Street between the bars Flannery's and This Is It.

Storm the Bastille, its meaning

The popular Storm the Bastille 5K run/walk, presented by Associated Bank, will start at 9 p.m. Thursday.

The event commemorates the storming of the Bastille, the 18th-century French prison, an event that helped spark the French Revolution.

The 5K starts on North Jefferson Street, adjacent to Cathedral Square Park, and will travel through downtown Milwaukee and the Historic Third Ward.

Registration, which costs $35, can be done at easttown.com/bastille-days/2022-storm-the-bastille-5k. The race will be timed by Silver Circle Sports Events this year for the first time.

Thousands of people gather at the start of the 2019 Storm the Bastille 5K run and walk in Milwaukee. The run, which began at 9 p.m. at the corner of North Jackson and East Wells streets featured thousands of runners as a kickoff to Bastille Days, Milwaukee's French-themed street festival in the East Town neighborhood around Cathedral Square Park.
Thousands of people gather at the start of the 2019 Storm the Bastille 5K run and walk in Milwaukee. The run, which began at 9 p.m. at the corner of North Jackson and East Wells streets featured thousands of runners as a kickoff to Bastille Days, Milwaukee's French-themed street festival in the East Town neighborhood around Cathedral Square Park.

Food and wine

Many Bastille Days' favorites will be returning, including Beignets Francais, Lake Park Bistro, Lagniappe Brasserie, and Crème & Crepe Café, a news release said.

New additions will include Crawdaddy’s on Greenfield, Milwaukee Pretzel Company and Smokin’ Jack’s BBQ.

Door Peninsula Winery will sponsor tastings throughout the event.

Entertainment, activities, marketplace

There will be three entertainment stages: The Educators Credit Union Main Stage; Gruber Law Offices “One Call...That’s All” Stage; and the Kilbourn East Stage, according to the event's website.

The full lineup can be found here, easttown.com/bastille-days/entertainment-and-music. Highlights include well-known vocalist Robin Pluer, two-time Grammy-winner Terrance Simien and The Zydeco Experience, and Madame Gigi’s Outrageous French CanCan Dancers, a news release said.

There will also be street performers and musicians.

The Bastille Days Marketplace will showcase crafts and products from artisans from around the world. A list of vendors can be found here, https://www.easttown.com/bastille-days/marketplace.

There will also be a Love Locks sculpture attendees can place padlocks on.

Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, 812 N. Jackson Street, will be offering tours, coffee in the garden, a free concert featuring historic pipe organs and sacred vocal music by French composers, and a Friday candlelight prayer, a news release said.

2017: Dancers with Madam Gigi's Outrageous French Cancan Dancers from Dayton, Ohio, perform during Bastille Days.
2017: Dancers with Madam Gigi's Outrageous French Cancan Dancers from Dayton, Ohio, perform during Bastille Days.

Kids day

Kids Day runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. There will be a beignet breakfast, French lessons, performances from Milwaukee Ballet and activities at the Kohl’s Art Studio, according to a news release.

A model of the Eiffel Tower stood in Cathedral Square Park during Bastille Days in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Thursday, July 11, 2019. The tower won't be a part of the event's 2022 installment.
A model of the Eiffel Tower stood in Cathedral Square Park during Bastille Days in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Thursday, July 11, 2019. The tower won't be a part of the event's 2022 installment.

What will be different from past years?

The festival will be "slightly downsized" from years past. And the 43-foot replica of the Eiffel Tower, the festival's unofficial symbol, will not be part of this year's event. East Town Association is "reviewing options" on how to bring it back for 2023 — Bastille Days' 40th anniversary, according to a previous Journal Sentinel report.

But attendees can still expect photo ops this year, including an inflatable Eiffel Tower and a #BASTILLEMKE sign.

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Parking, transportation

Attendees can purchase parking at the BMO Tower Garage, 771 N. Broadway, which is located a block from the festival, according to the event's website. People can buy parking in advance using Honk Mobile to get a $5 discount. For instructions on that, visit easttown.com/bastille-days.

The Hop's M-Line stops in the middle of the festival grounds.

Milwaukee Art Museum partnership

The Milwaukee Art Museum, 700 N. Art Museum Drive, is hosting a Streets of Paris extravaganza from Thursday through Sunday in partnership with the festival. It's inspired by the museum's feature exhibition "Always New: The Posters of Jules Chéret," according to the museum's website.

"Be transported to France and travel to Mali, Senegal, Haiti, and other French-speaking countries of the African Diaspora through art, storytelling, dance, music and more," the museum's website said.

Programming at the museum will include a film screening and panel discussion for “Myth of a Colorblind France” on Thursday night; free museum admission from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday with performances and a beer garden on Baumgartner Terrace; and more.

For each day's lineup, visit mam.org/events/streets-of-paris.php.

More Bastille info/updates

For more information or updates on Bastille Days, visit easttown.com/bastille-days.

Chris Foran of the Journal Sentinel staff contributed to this report. 

Contact Hannah Kirby at hannah.kirby@jrn.com. Follow her on Twitter at @HannahHopeKirby.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee Bastille Days French street festival: Hours, dates, food