Now that the fireworks have just begun to calm down… it’s time for even more! On Tuesday next week, French and Francophile communities from Manhattan to Montmartre will be celebrating la Fête Nationale, also known simply as le quatorze juillet, or—to the Americans—Bastille Day. This means that many Stateside (who don’t get July 14th off) will be celebrating over the weekend. (While the French, of course, faire le pont and take a four-day weekend.)
We have recommendations for where to celebrate Bastille Day in Florida, Boston, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C. If you’re in New York, I’d recommend making a whole weekend of it, starting with the L’Alliance New York street fair on Sunday, July 12, which runs from noon to 5 pm, and following it up with the French Consulate’s free concert in Central Park that evening at 6 pm. For the evening of July 14 itself, you might still be able to snag tickets to see Matthew Rosenstein’s cabaret show, Make Me French! at the Laurie Beechman Theatre.
If you happen to be in Paris, check out our guide to celebrating July 14à la française, or learn how to party with French firefighters at the Bals des Pompiers. Or, in true French fashion, you can camp out at a bar to watch the World Cup. France is the current favorite to win it all, and faces what should be a challenging game tomorrow against Morocco. (Here’s where to cheer them on in New York, Miami, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Texas, and Boston.)
And if you’re not in France, but would like to be… we’ve got big news! Our long-awaited Moving to France Guide is finally available, with thorough, detailed explanations of everything you need to relocate to France, from tax essentials, to signing up for health insurance, to buying your dream home. Our writers have taken the nitty gritty aspects of expat life and made them accessible and easy to understand, so your dream move can start to feel like a reality.
Wherever you are (or hope to be), bonne fête nationale from all of us here at Frenchly!
