Bastille Day Festival Returns to the Back Bay This Weekend
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Thousands of revelers are expected to take over the Back Bay for a Bastille Day block party this weekend.
The French Cultural Center will be bringing its 41st annual Bastille Day Festival to the Boston neighborhood on Friday, July 15. The festivities will be held on Marlborough Street between Berkley and Clarendon Streets from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m.
For non-Francophiles, the annual celebration, known as La fête nationale in France, commemorates the storming of the Bastille prison during the bloody French Revolution on July 14, 1789. Unfortunately, this year’s celebration will be somewhat bittersweet as it will be the first Bastille Day since the 2015 terrorist attack in Paris, which killed more than 120 people.
The Bastille Day Festival is Boston has sold out each of the past three years, usually drawing crowds of over 2,000 people. This year’s event will feature two francophone acts, including the French band Ginkgoa as well as Haitian signer Emeline Michel.
In addition to the music, local restaurants will be bringing plenty of beer, wine, and French cuisine that will be for sale for partiers to purchase.
The 41st annual Bastille Day Festival will take over the Back Bay on Friday, July 15, from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. Tickets are $28 in advance or $35 at the door, while children under 10 can attend for free. For more information check out FrenchCulturalCenter.org.
