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Get ready for a wonderful weekend – or make that wonderful oui-kend, as Bastille Days will bring France to the Fresh Coast for its 41st time starting this week.
Running July 11-14 in and around Cathedral Square Park, Bastille Days will serve up French culture, drink, dancing, live music, local vendors across all sorts of arts and activities, and the beloved traditional Eiffel Tower replica helping transform Brew City into the City of Lights. And forget letting them just eat cake: The many menus at the four-day fest will serve up crepes, beignets, escargot, pretzel snacks, eclairs, French dips and a feast of other tasty eats, both sweet and savory – all courtesy of a variety of "ooh la la"-worthy local vendors.
That's just the start of all the French frivolity headed East Town's way this weekend – so to help you make the most out of this festival that you can (or can-can), here's a guide to all the good times coming to Bastille Days this weekend, starting with the lineup of music and entertainment coming to the French festival's stages:
Entertainment schedule
Thursday, July 11
Main Stage
- 11:45 a.m. – Daddio
- 3 p.m. – Liam Ford Band
- 6 p.m. – Funk Club Wagon
- 9:05 p.m. – Sneezy
"One Call ... That's All" Stage
- 12:15 p.m. – Madame Gigi's Outrageous French CanCan Dancers
- 1:15 p.m. – Palm Ghosts
- 4:15 p.m. – Madame Gigi's Outrageous French CanCan Dancers
- 5:15 p.m. – The Panoptics
- 8:35 p.m. – Madame Gigi's Outrageous French CanCan Dancers
- 9:30 p.m. – The First Wave
Kilbourn Stage
- 11:30 a.m. – Wildered
- 2:45 p.m. – Troubadours of Rhythm
- 6 p.m. – V2
- 8:45 p.m. – Extra Crispy Brass Band
Beaux Arts Stage
- 11:45 a.m. – Dianna Jones Band
- 3 p.m. – Tamarind Tribal Belly Dance
- 5 p.m. – French Folk with Daddy Squeeze & Friends
- 6:45 p.m. – Louie & The Flashbombs
- 9:15 p.m. – Something To Do
Madison Medical Stage
- 11:30 a.m. – Kevin Soucie
- 2:30 p.m. – LJ
- 4 p.m. – Kevin Soucie
- 5:30 p.m. – TaDah
- 8:30 p.m. – DJ Carbonella
Friday, July 12
Main Stage
- 11:45 a.m. – Paradise Jazz Band
- 2:45 p.m. – Kitty Soft Paw
- 6 p.m. – Ana Everling Trio
- 9 p.m. – Extra Crispy Brass Band
"One Call ... That's All" Stage
- 11:30 a.m. – Duosonic
- 2 p.m. – Madame Gigi's Outrageous French CanCan Dancers
- 3 p.m. – Six Pack Sammy
- 6 p.m. – Madame Gigi's Outrageous French CanCan Dancers
- 7 p.m. – 5 Card Studs
- 9:45 p.m. – Madame Gigi's Outrageous French CanCan Dancers
- 10:05 p.m. – This Is It! Drag Show
Kilbourn Stage
- Noon – Sweet Shieks
- 4 p.m. – French Folk with Daddy Squeeze & Friends
- 5:45 p.m. – Peter Thomas and Steve Vorass
- 8:45 p.m. – The Belle Weather
Beaux Arts Stage
- 11:45 a.m. – Tamarind Tribal Belly Dance
- 1:15 p.m. – Chris Pipkins
- 2:45 p.m. – The Incorruptibles
- 6 p.m. – Rebecca & The Grey Notes
- 9:15 p.m. – Maple Road Blues Band
Madison Medical Stage
- 11:30 a.m. – Gene Gruber
- 2:30 p.m. – Jenn Leo
- 5:30 p.m. – Annie B
- 8:30 p.m. – DJ Jayx
Saturday, July 13
Main Stage
- 11 a.m. – Milwaukee Ballet
- 12:15 p.m. – Milwaukee French Immersion School
- 1:30 p.m. – Tamarind Tribal Belly Dance
- 3 p.m. – Ben Mulwana & The Village
- 6:30 p.m. – The Listening Party
- 9:30 p.m. – Panadanza and DJ Kiran Vedula
"One Call ... That's All" Stage
- 12:30 p.m. – Madame Gigi's Outrageous French CanCan Dancers
- 1:30 p.m. – Vintage Groove
- 4:30 p.m. – Madame Gigi's Outrageous French CanCan Dancers
- 5:30 p.m. – Rustbucket
- 8 p.m. – Madame Gigi's Outrageous French CanCan Dancers
- 9 p.m. – Breaking Cadence
Kilbourn Stage
- Noon – Christopher's Quartet
- 3:45 p.m. – French Folk with Daddy Squeeze & Friends
- 5:35 p.m. – Terra Guitarra
- 8:50 p.m. – Professor Pinkerton's Irrelevant Orchestra
Beaux Arts Stage
- 12:45 p.m. – Blues Talk
- 3:45 p.m. – Robin Pluer
- 6:30 p.m. – Max & The Invaders
- 9:20 p.m. – Sugo
Madison Medical Stage
- 11:30 a.m. – Kevin Soucie
- 2:30 p.m. – Octavio Arcanjo
- 5:30 p.m. – Jennifer & The Drive
- 9 p.m. – DJ Asher Gray
Sunday, July 14
Main Stage
- 12:05 p.m. – Kojo
- 2:35 p.m. – Jazzmen
- 5:30 p.m. – Taylor & The Anti-Heroes
"One Call ... That's All" Stage
- 12:15 p.m. – 11 One Louder
- 4 p.m. – Brewtown Beat
Kilbourn Stage
- 12:30 p.m. – The Style
- 4:30 p.m. – Robin Pluer
Beaux Arts Stage
- 12:15 p.m. – Marjasana
- 2 p.m. – Jerry Grillo French Cabaret
- 4:30 p.m. – The Hungry Williams
Madison Medical Stage
- 12:15 p.m. – Jean Kaldunski-Hildegarde
- 3:30 p.m. – DJ John Stuart
Of course, it wouldn't be Bastille Days without some "bon appetit"-worthy bites. So the Cathedral Square Park area will be filled with all sorts of tasty feasts – from authentic French dishes to classic festival eats to thirst-quenching beverages and more. Here are the food and drink vendors you'll find this weekend at Bastille Days:
- Beignets Francais
- Cedar Crest Ice Cream
- Crawdaddy’s on Greenfield
- Cream & Crepe Cafe
- Immy’s African Cuisine
- J.T. Catalano Corn
- Kegel's Inn
- La Cocina del Sur
- Lagniappe Brasserie
- Lake Park Bistro
- Milwaukee Pretzel Company
- MIL-WOK-EE Asian Street Food
- Peter Sciortino Bakery
- Saz’s
- Shuckers Crab Shack & Oyster Bar
- Sil’s Mini Donuts
- Smokin’ Jack's
- The Truck Stop
- Ward’s House of Prime
For specific menus for each vendor this weekend, click here.
And as for something to help sate your hunger for art and entertainment of a less edible variety, here's the list of local arts and crafts vendors showing off their wares at this weekend's French fete:
- 414 Milwaukee
- Africa Alive LLC
- Akarim African Enterprise
- Aleja Avila
- Amano
- The Amber Chamber/Sigma Solutions Inc.
- Amber Treasures
- Ashwear International
- Asian Encounters
- Baby Alpaca
- Baraka Jewelry
- BG Hats and More LLC/Designs by Gina
- Big Skinny Wallets/Design 9000
- Boom Chakra Laka
- The Bronzeville Collective MKE
- Brush Box
- Canni Hemp
- CBDelicacy
- Chase My Creations
- Chez Gautier/French Imports
- Chuck Senties Productions
- Connect Chiropractic
- Crowns of Deity
- Cutco
- Djenne Collections Inc.
- Elegancia Designs
- Folklore Crafts
- The Great Midwest Hemp Fest
- HCJ LLC/Holly + Mae
- Incas Andes
- James Steeno Gallery
- Just Goods
- Khepra Jewelers
- Kind Oasis
- Lakeview Family Chiropractic
- Linny's Artsy Fingers LLC
- Mad City Windows and Baths
- ManHands
- Medieval Mapmaker
- Midwest Shores
- Milwaukee Candle Company
- Mistura Timepieces
- MRM
- My Girlz Clothing Co
- Mystic Ireland Gifts/Celtic Nations
- Nicole's Creations
- Nostalgia Xicana Mexican Folk Art
- Nourish Natural Products
- Pallay Craft
- Panache Jewelry
- Rose D'oro Inc.
- Say It Louder LLC
- Shades of Fun
- Silverware by Misty, LLC
- Soul Spin
- Splash Soap Company
- Static Cat (MKE Buttons)
- Stylistic Tendencies
- Thiocary Fashion
- Townsville Art
- Trujinaki Vogue
- Tupalee's
- TW Wholesale
- Visette
- Wander & Co.
- War Forger Printing
Looking to feast on all of those crepes guilt-free? Then sign up for the Storm the Bastille 5k, hitting the streets of Downtown Milwaukee on Thursday, July 11, in honor of the historic 18th century revolution. For more information on the event, click here.
Bastille Days will run Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. until 11:30 p.m. as well as Sunday from 11 a.m. until 7 p.m. For more information on Bastille Days – including parking and transportation tips, and more – visit East Town Association's website. And for more summer festival fun, click here.
As much as it is a gigantic cliché to say that one has always had a passion for film, Matt Mueller has always had a passion for film. Whether it was bringing in the latest movie reviews for his first grade show-and-tell or writing film reviews for the St. Norbert College Times as a high school student, Matt is way too obsessed with movies for his own good.
When he's not writing about the latest blockbuster or talking much too glowingly about "Piranha 3D," Matt can probably be found watching literally any sport (minus cricket) or working at - get this - a local movie theater. Or watching a movie. Yeah, he's probably watching a movie.