Concerts, dancing, pétanque, gastronomy, cinema… France and its culture will be in the spotlight over the next few days in the New York region, and French residents in the United States and Francophiles of all nationalities are looking forward to celebrating Bastille Day. Once again this year, they’ll have plenty to choose from: the evening concert organized by the Consulate General of France (which hosted 12,000 people last year!) and the big street party organized by L’Alliance New York in Midtown, as well as plenty of other festivities.
From July 7 – 20: French Restaurant Week
French Restaurant Week, organized by AM GLOBAL GROUP, returns to New York with restaurants like La Mercerie, Le Rivage, Le Gratin, Café Boulud, Supper Club, Lafayette, Levant on Smith, Jacques Brasserie, Le Rock, Sirène, and even Margaux by La Sirène… In total, 19 French restaurants will be offering prix fixe menus between Monday, July 7, and Sunday, July 20:
- Lunch menus of two or three courses at $30, $45, and $60
- Dinner menus of three courses at $45, $60, and $75.
You can find the complete list of restaurants here. When you book on the site, you can try your luck at winning two Air France business class tickets between New York JFK and Paris CDG. To enter the draw, simply scan the QR code or fill in this form.
July 11 & 12: L’Alliance New York in Montclair, NJ
New Jersey’s French and Francophiles can celebrate Bastille Day over two days this year. The Montclair branch of L’Alliance New York will kick off the festivities on the evening of Friday, July 11, with a 7 pm screening of Martin Provost’s film Bonnard, Pierre et Marthe (2023), at The Clairidge Cinema (486 Bloomfield Ave). The following day, Saturday, July 12, from 10 am to 4 pm, is French Shopping Day: stalls all over town will offer a chance to discover French cuisine and gastronomy, products made in France, and a treasure hunt for children. Saturday will conclude with a garden party from 5 pm to 9 pm at the Van Vleck House & Gardens, featuring a gourmet buffet and a sunset concert (reservations required).
L’Alliance New York Montclair, 17-19 Munn Street, 2nd floor, Montclair
July 12: Le Bal Français at 5th & Mad
Bastille Day is also all about dancing the night away to French hits. On Saturday, July 12, Le Bal Français will be taking over the huge two-storey dancefloor of the bar-restaurant 5th & Mad – which you may know from catching soccer and rugby matches with French Morning. The event will take place from 9 pm to 4 am, and is open to everyone aged 21 and over. Admission is $25.31. Get your tickets here.
5th&Mad, 7 East 36th Street New York, NY 10016
July 13: L’Alliance NY Street Fair, Central Park Concert, and a Pétanque Tournament
The two biggest Bastille Day celebrations in New York will take place on Sunday, July 13 (one after another, so you can attend both!), a true gift for New York French and Francophile residents. As a fun bonus, upstate residents can form teams to participate in a pétanque tournament.
From 12 pm to 5 pm, L’Alliance New York Street Fair
It’s a tradition that every year, L’Alliance New York celebrates Bastille Day Midtown, on Madison Avenue, between 59th and 63rd Streets, which will be closed to traffic between 12 pm and 5 pm. This year’s theme will be Cannes and the South of France, with warm colors from pink to orange joining French tricolor flags. Dozens of stalls will feature French products, seaside scenes interpreted by artists Yvan Clédat and Coco Petitpierre, the creation of giant paper flowers in a garden area, a treasure hunt, pétanque, an exhibition of vintage Citroën cars (2CV lovers beware)… As well as, on the Alliance’s premises, wine and champagne tastings and cinema with screenings of Jacques Tati’s Jour de Fête and Martin Provost’s Bonnard, Pierre et Marthe. Plus a raffle to win a trip to Cannes! It will be a fun-filled afternoon for young and old alike.
L’Alliance New York in Manhattan, 22 East 60th Street
From 5 pm to 9 pm, a Concert in Central Park Organized by the French Consulate
Another tradition New Yorkers look forward to every year is the grand concert offered by the Consulat général de France, in partnership with the City Parks Foundation SummerStage, on the Rumsey Playfield stage in Central Park. Last year, nearly 12,000 people attended the event, a record since its creation in 2021. For this 5th edition, the line-up is impressive: Toulousan rap duo brothers Bigflo & Oli, certified diamond with their album “La Vraie Vie”, a billion streams, and multiple awards; Patrick Bruel, a lover of New York, the city where he used to live, who will be singing in Central Park for the first time (check out our interview with him); celebrity DJ/producer Bob Sinclar, pioneer of the “French Touch” with his worldwide hits “Love Generation” and “World, Hold On”; and finally, ESTL, a Belgian pop artist on the rise, who will introduce New York audiences to his dreamy melodies from his debut EP, “Caméléon.”
The concert is free, and will take place from 5 pm to 10 pm at Rumsey Playfield in Central Park (entrance at 72nd Street and 5th Avenue).
From 12 pm to 5 pm, a Pétanque Tournament Upstate
It’s a Daguin tradition: homemade pastis (distilled on the farm), merguez barbecue, and pétanque at All One One All Farm in upstate New York. All you need to do is form a team of three players, and show up ready to play from noon to 5 pm. All levels are welcome. “The game is BYOB (bring your own balls!)” the organizers joke, but extra balls will be available (on a first-come, first-served basis). Prizes will be awarded to the winning team. Tickets are $30 + fees per team of three.
All One One All Farm, 221 Craigville Road Goshen, NY 10924
This article was originally published in French on French Morning. It appears here in translation.
