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Loved our first Bastille Days! We have always had something going every year so we finally got to make it and so happy about it. Loved that they had menus and pricing available beforehand. The only one that was inconsistent (cost more) was the crepe vendor. Wasn't a long wait at most places which was surprising considering the crowd, even on a Sunday. Crepe line was the only one longer and we ended up not waiting for it. Great music at the smaller stage and more rock/acoustic at the main stages. Easy to get free parking a few blocks away and plenty to check out. Will definitely be back and aim for a Friday or Saturday to see the can-can dancers!
Attending the Bastille Days festival has been on my bucket list for a very long time. FINALLY, I made it this summer, and this is now one of my favorite festivals. For one, it's free - one of the free festivals you can enjoy in the city. The mini-Eiffel tower set up is fabulous. There are food vendors, music stages, and lots of interesting shopping. I was there on a Friday afternoon - and we could see the Blue Angels practicing too, which was fun. Walking around was fun, and I really enjoyed the music. We heard the Navy band, which was fantastic, and a few others. My only quibble is there wasn't enough "French" food There were a few vendors with crepes (mostly sweet), we found Beef Bourginon, some lamb sandwiches, and there were beignets. But, I would have liked more options in that department. Still, it was fun - and I would go back again. A fun and enjoyable afternoon/evening downtown.
Pros: Good jazz music if you are into that. I went early on Sat, so there were no crowds, $2 all day parking on spothero.com! Right next to Pfister Hotel. Just enter the address and don't get ripped off for parking. This isn't Chicago, so parking is supposed to be cheap. Cut looking plastic dragons for sale, very unique. Cons: I think I made a mistake going in the day. There was only 1 wandering artist. See pic. Also, I tried a lot of the Milwaukee area food restaurants on my shortlisted list that were at the festival, but everything was mediocre sadly.
Bastille Days West is a much smaller version of the original, and entered around Charles E Fromace wine bar in the Heights. If you haven't been to CEF, drop everything and GO RIGHT NOW. Anyway, this new fest is several blocks of Westside fun - kids activities, bands, Robin Pluer, street performers and more. Lots of French wi e from Valentine, CEF and the Draft. Cocktails and beer too! Bring your kids, bring your dog, chill with your neighbors. They definitely needed a few food trucks to round it out but this is one of the 10,000 reasons I love the Heights!
After living in Wisconsin my entire life, I finally made it to Bastille Days. The food was delicious, but there wasn't much else to do there. Here's a list of everything we tried... Beignets: They were fluffy, golden, and had plenty of powdered sugar. If you've had beignets at Café du Monde in New Orleans, these seem pretty mediocre in comparison. However, if you've never had a beignet before, this will give you a pretty good idea of what they're supposed to taste like. Crème Brûlée: Absolutely delicious! You really can't get $5.00 crème brûlée anywhere else. I appreciated how the crust on top was more golden than burnt, which I've had a problem with other crème brûlées in the past. The custard was creamy and smooth. Saz's Sampler Platter: If you're ever presented with the opportunity to try Saz's sour cream and chive fries, take it. They are so flavorful and crispy. The cheese curds were delicious, but the mozzarella sticks were just okay. Crêpes: You really can't go wrong with ice cream wrapped in a crêpe and topped with chocolate sauce and whipped cream. The Mosaic Crêpe had mint chocolate chip ice cream and paired surprisingly nicely with the thin and soft crêpe. The Mocha Ambrosia Crêpe had a coffee flavored ice cream filling and it was divine. Coffee + Crêpes = Pure Bliss. Tarot Reading: I visited Tammi Kapitanski from Remedy Within for a tarot reading. I had never done this before, and it was so fun and interesting. Tammi provided some great insight. It ran me $30.00 for the reading and it was well worth it - and she accepts Venmo! The reason Bastille Days only gets 3/5 stars is because there's not much else to do besides eat. There are a few shops, but they're reminiscent of things you'd see at the Wisconsin State Fair - some jewelry, some patterned skirts, some art. It was nice that the two music stages had artists of very different genres, but I think they could've done with one more musical act somewhere else on the grounds. Slightly more seating would have been nice as well. I was really disappointed that they didn't have their usual replica of the Eiffel Tower. This year it was only an inflatable. Hopefully they bring back the true replica next year. If you're trying to decide whether or not to go to Bastille Days, I'd try it out. And definitely go get your tarot read by Tammi - that made my experience at Bastille Days a little more interesting.
I ended over here Friday and Saturday had a chance to watch a few bands walk around got mesmerized by the miniature Eiffel tower? no just the Huge line long line for beignet and coffee. I really don't get the Why??? Is it Powdered sugar on top? Or is it something else?? more addictive...sniff sniff. Plenty of people and dog watching to be done. They also had a lady with stilts performing with an assistant on a pole. I still wonder how it would be to fall from that height. I seen many people wearing stripped shirts and beret it was a chance to walk around the whole time looking for "something to do" Did you know that under the Eiffel tower there was chalk art see picture. Parking can be hectic but if you go later its easier to find spots verses day time. http://instagram.com/p/bwNWJtvkWz/ It's a fun festival with on going music simultaneously on 4 stages over 4 days. Food: 4 Ambiance: 4 Service: 3 Location: 3 Value: 4
Staying at a near by hotel, we saw a festival out of the window so we thought we'd check it out.... even though it was on a Sunday, it was really not that busy. There were a lot of various booths - very few booths celebrating the French culture. Of course, the first booth we encountered was for Tarot reading. No comment.... People watching was very interesting.....overall meh.
Right next to my customer's office is one end of the amazing Bastille Days street festival, which kicked off today and runs all weekend along Kilbourn Street from the corner of Broadway and continuing east a bit. Beautiful weather today, please stop by! You'll find all sorts of vendors with creative items on sale - hats, jewelry, scarves, sarongs, wood carvings, tshirts and posters. And the food from tons of local restaurants - oddly, Mexican. But loads of French- and Cajun-themed stuff, like crepes (yum!), French cheeses, croque monsieurs, beignets and whatnot. Of course, tons of entertainment on several different stages. A great Jazz band was playing at one. I watched the Can-can girls for a bit, but I think I might have looked a bit like a creeper so I moved on (no, there was nothing to see. They're all properly covered up).. A mime with a hula-hoop earned a dollar from me in her collection "hat". Yep, there's beer there too. And I absolutely did NOT have a beer with my French dip sandwich (go for the "loaded" with mushrooms and cheese) at lunch time. Nope. Did not have a delicious cold Stella Artois at all. And hey, it's totally FREE to wander and look and enjoy!
An excellent Milwaukee festival. Bastille days is a festival that always kicks off with a 5k run which starts at 9 pm which is pretty cool. There aren't many nighttime runs in Milwaukee. There is an abundance of french inspired foods and treats as well as some Frenchie puppies. They install a miniature Eiffel Tower in the center for your viewing pleasure. They offer a large handful of vendors selling homemade goods, Bastille Day apparel and much much more. There is different live music throughout the entire festival and plenty of other entertainment throughout the grounds. Truly just a well-done festival that is definitely worth checking out!
Bastille Days is always a good time. Despite the fact that parking can be a huge pain (be warned - you may have to park up to a mile away from the festival), it is a pretty amazing FREE event. Especially if you love people watching and window shopping. They have pretty yummy food too - many local restaurants have food tents and it's always fun to try something new. You must get a photo by the Eiffel Tower replica - it's pretty dang cool. The Storm The Bastille 5k is always Thursday evening, opening day of the festival. It is fun, but can be really crowded. It is a good fun run, but I don't recommend it for the competitive runner. I *highly* recommend visiting the Saz's tent they set up on Jefferson over by Elsa's for mojito. Maybe it was the atmosphere, or the bartenders, but it was most certainly one of the BEST mojitos I have ever had. Just fantastic. Wish I had one right now.... The crowd can get a little mature (i.e. really enjoying their drinks) later in the evening so I would recommend bringing kids early and let the adults have their fun later on in the evening ;)
Bastille Days was literally right outside my front door and I loved every minute. Here are a few of my favorites of this free festival: 1. Kiss the Frenchie! Adorable French Bulldogs are available for gettin your pet fix on for a donation to a local rescue of these adorable dogs. Love a chance to snuggle for a second and make a new friend! 2. Saz's streetside dining. Good food, service and a chance to sit down and enjoy a tasty bite in a moment away from the madness. 3. Diet Lemonade. Watch 'em squeeze your own personally made thirst-quenching cup. So yummy. 4. Music stage outside Flannery's. I don't know who conceived this brilliant plan but I give them props for getting it done. 5. Too Much Rock For One Hand.T-shirts. A great way to #shoplocal for your t-shirts and support a great artist at the same time. 6. See The Hop! Yep, it was on-site and available for public tours. As where I work and live are on the line, I will probably use it from time to time so I'm glad I had the chance to tour and volunteered for a test drive! 7. Casablanca. Non-French, I know, but offering some delicious healthy fare at a street festival. Thanks for the choices! I could go on and on, I've barely skimmed the surface of what makes this free festival so fun. All I can say is go to watch people and be open to new experiences. So awesome!
This is always fun! Came here for lunch the first day of the event. Walked around and looked at the shopping, trying to decide where to eat. The vibe here is great - of my favorite downtown events!
still up there near the top of the Milwaukee summer festivals for me. Thursday its always crazy busy because of the 9 pm storm the Bastille 5k (if you've never done it - do it!) its probably my favorite 5k of all time. people running thru the streets of downtown after nightfall, crowds spilling out of bars to cheer everyone on...you will really feel some revolutionary fervor! Saturday is usually pretty busy all day because well, Saturday. Sunday is usually the most lowkey day and you can often get deals from the merchants. Regarding the merchandise theres a lot of nice quality stuff in a small space. Theres also tarot card readers, a French bulldog kissing booth, mimes, sword swallowers. While they don't usually book big names musically, there are several stages to keep people entertained. For whatever it's worth theres also always plenty of portopottys (sometimes it's the little things!) Lastly, two huge improvements I noticed this year: - lots and lots of French food options. there used to be beignets and then basically pizza, burgers, brats but now the food seems pretty French-Belgian-cajun and overall was delicious - the street car stops in the middle of the festival! no more walking a mile back to your car (or for some of us, home.) C'est magnifique!
Made my way to Bastille Days once again! There was live music. Drums being played. The French bulldog rescue station was quite the attraction. Tea leaf readings and henna was also present. This visit I munched on "Squid on a Stick" and "Waffle on a Stick". The Squid was NOT a favorite dish. The "Candy Cloud" was my absolute go-to dessert at the festival. Whipped cream, cotton candy, maraschino cherry and an array of confetti crumbles made a delicious bite. The gumbo at Bastille Days is NOT as good as my Grandmother's gumbo but worth a try. read more
2 months ago
I love when Bastille Days comes to Milwaukee. The Storm the Bastille 5K is one of my favorite runs of all time. So special and you can just feel the community. Tons of good bites and lots of cute little shops. Always a must on the summer bucket list. read more
2025 update: Bastille Days is better than ever. I Stormed the Bastille again! A race that jumps off at 9pm on night 1 of the Festival, over 5,000 runners/walkers participated this year. It's a fun one that goes through the streets of Milwaukee and ends with a free beer/water. The food was better than ever this year, as Lupi & Iris and others joined the vendors. It's easy to find great full meals and lots to snack on, including beignets. Entertainment was great with Radio Radio 80s, Robin Pluer a fest favorite for 36 years, and Hot N Crispy Brass Band brings a NOLA style to the music. You can take the Hop to Bastille Days. If you haven't been to one of Milwaukee's best ethnic festivals in awhile, Allons-Y! read more
Loved our first Bastille Days! We have always had something going every year so we finally got to make it and so happy about it. Loved that they had menus and pricing available beforehand. The only one that was inconsistent (cost more) was the crepe vendor. Wasn't a long wait at most places which was surprising considering the crowd, even on a Sunday. Crepe line was the only one longer and we ended up not waiting for it. Great music at the smaller stage and more rock/acoustic at the main stages. Easy to get free parking a few blocks away and plenty to check out. Will definitely be back and aim for a Friday or Saturday to see the can-can dancers! read more
1 year ago
Attending the Bastille Days festival has been on my bucket list for a very long time. FINALLY, I made it this summer, and this is now one of my favorite festivals. For one, it's free - one of the free festivals you can enjoy in the city. The mini-Eiffel tower set up is fabulous. There are food vendors, music stages, and lots of interesting shopping. I was there on a Friday afternoon - and we could see the Blue Angels practicing too, which was fun. Walking around was fun, and I really enjoyed the music. We heard the Navy band, which was fantastic, and a few others. My only quibble is there wasn't enough "French" food There were a few vendors with crepes (mostly sweet), we found Beef Bourginon, some lamb sandwiches, and there were beignets. But, I would have liked more options in that department. Still, it was fun - and I would go back again. A fun and enjoyable afternoon/evening downtown. read more
Pros: Good jazz music if you are into that. I went early on Sat, so there were no crowds, $2 all day parking on spothero.com! Right next to Pfister Hotel. Just enter the address and don't get ripped off for parking. This isn't Chicago, so parking is supposed to be cheap. Cut looking plastic dragons for sale, very unique. Cons: I think I made a mistake going in the day. There was only 1 wandering artist. See pic. Also, I tried a lot of the Milwaukee area food restaurants on my shortlisted list that were at the festival, but everything was mediocre sadly. read more
Bastille Days West is a much smaller version of the original, and entered around Charles E Fromace wine bar in the Heights. If you haven't been to CEF, drop everything and GO RIGHT NOW. Anyway, this new fest is several blocks of Westside fun - kids activities, bands, Robin Pluer, street performers and more. Lots of French wi e from Valentine, CEF and the Draft. Cocktails and beer too! Bring your kids, bring your dog, chill with your neighbors. They definitely needed a few food trucks to round it out but this is one of the 10,000 reasons I love the Heights! read more
4 years ago
After living in Wisconsin my entire life, I finally made it to Bastille Days. The food was delicious, but there wasn't much else to do there. Here's a list of everything we tried... Beignets: They were fluffy, golden, and had plenty of powdered sugar. If you've had beignets at Café du Monde in New Orleans, these seem pretty mediocre in comparison. However, if you've never had a beignet before, this will give you a pretty good idea of what they're supposed to taste like. Crème Brûlée: Absolutely delicious! You really can't get $5.00 crème brûlée anywhere else. I appreciated how the crust on top was more golden than burnt, which I've had a problem with other crème brûlées in the past. The custard was creamy and smooth. Saz's Sampler Platter: If you're ever presented with the opportunity to try Saz's sour cream and chive fries, take it. They are so flavorful and crispy. The cheese curds were delicious, but the mozzarella sticks were just okay. Crêpes: You really can't go wrong with ice cream wrapped in a crêpe and topped with chocolate sauce and whipped cream. The Mosaic Crêpe had mint chocolate chip ice cream and paired surprisingly nicely with the thin and soft crêpe. The Mocha Ambrosia Crêpe had a coffee flavored ice cream filling and it was divine. Coffee + Crêpes = Pure Bliss. Tarot Reading: I visited Tammi Kapitanski from Remedy Within for a tarot reading. I had never done this before, and it was so fun and interesting. Tammi provided some great insight. It ran me $30.00 for the reading and it was well worth it - and she accepts Venmo! The reason Bastille Days only gets 3/5 stars is because there's not much else to do besides eat. There are a few shops, but they're reminiscent of things you'd see at the Wisconsin State Fair - some jewelry, some patterned skirts, some art. It was nice that the two music stages had artists of very different genres, but I think they could've done with one more musical act somewhere else on the grounds. Slightly more seating would have been nice as well. I was really disappointed that they didn't have their usual replica of the Eiffel Tower. This year it was only an inflatable. Hopefully they bring back the true replica next year. If you're trying to decide whether or not to go to Bastille Days, I'd try it out. And definitely go get your tarot read by Tammi - that made my experience at Bastille Days a little more interesting. read more
I ended over here Friday and Saturday had a chance to watch a few bands walk around got mesmerized by the miniature Eiffel tower? no just the Huge line long line for beignet and coffee. I really don't get the Why??? Is it Powdered sugar on top? Or is it something else?? more addictive...sniff sniff. Plenty of people and dog watching to be done. They also had a lady with stilts performing with an assistant on a pole. I still wonder how it would be to fall from that height. I seen many people wearing stripped shirts and beret it was a chance to walk around the whole time looking for "something to do" Did you know that under the Eiffel tower there was chalk art see picture. Parking can be hectic but if you go later its easier to find spots verses day time. http://instagram.com/p/bwNWJtvkWz/ It's a fun festival with on going music simultaneously on 4 stages over 4 days. Food: 4 Ambiance: 4 Service: 3 Location: 3 Value: 4 read more
Staying at a near by hotel, we saw a festival out of the window so we thought we'd check it out.... even though it was on a Sunday, it was really not that busy. There were a lot of various booths - very few booths celebrating the French culture. Of course, the first booth we encountered was for Tarot reading. No comment.... People watching was very interesting.....overall meh. read more
Right next to my customer's office is one end of the amazing Bastille Days street festival, which kicked off today and runs all weekend along Kilbourn Street from the corner of Broadway and continuing east a bit. Beautiful weather today, please stop by! You'll find all sorts of vendors with creative items on sale - hats, jewelry, scarves, sarongs, wood carvings, tshirts and posters. And the food from tons of local restaurants - oddly, Mexican. But loads of French- and Cajun-themed stuff, like crepes (yum!), French cheeses, croque monsieurs, beignets and whatnot. Of course, tons of entertainment on several different stages. A great Jazz band was playing at one. I watched the Can-can girls for a bit, but I think I might have looked a bit like a creeper so I moved on (no, there was nothing to see. They're all properly covered up).. A mime with a hula-hoop earned a dollar from me in her collection "hat". Yep, there's beer there too. And I absolutely did NOT have a beer with my French dip sandwich (go for the "loaded" with mushrooms and cheese) at lunch time. Nope. Did not have a delicious cold Stella Artois at all. And hey, it's totally FREE to wander and look and enjoy! read more
7 years ago
An excellent Milwaukee festival. Bastille days is a festival that always kicks off with a 5k run which starts at 9 pm which is pretty cool. There aren't many nighttime runs in Milwaukee. There is an abundance of french inspired foods and treats as well as some Frenchie puppies. They install a miniature Eiffel Tower in the center for your viewing pleasure. They offer a large handful of vendors selling homemade goods, Bastille Day apparel and much much more. There is different live music throughout the entire festival and plenty of other entertainment throughout the grounds. Truly just a well-done festival that is definitely worth checking out! read more
Bastille Days is always a good time. Despite the fact that parking can be a huge pain (be warned - you may have to park up to a mile away from the festival), it is a pretty amazing FREE event. Especially if you love people watching and window shopping. They have pretty yummy food too - many local restaurants have food tents and it's always fun to try something new. You must get a photo by the Eiffel Tower replica - it's pretty dang cool. The Storm The Bastille 5k is always Thursday evening, opening day of the festival. It is fun, but can be really crowded. It is a good fun run, but I don't recommend it for the competitive runner. I *highly* recommend visiting the Saz's tent they set up on Jefferson over by Elsa's for mojito. Maybe it was the atmosphere, or the bartenders, but it was most certainly one of the BEST mojitos I have ever had. Just fantastic. Wish I had one right now.... The crowd can get a little mature (i.e. really enjoying their drinks) later in the evening so I would recommend bringing kids early and let the adults have their fun later on in the evening ;) read more
8 years ago
Bastille Days was literally right outside my front door and I loved every minute. Here are a few of my favorites of this free festival: 1. Kiss the Frenchie! Adorable French Bulldogs are available for gettin your pet fix on for a donation to a local rescue of these adorable dogs. Love a chance to snuggle for a second and make a new friend! 2. Saz's streetside dining. Good food, service and a chance to sit down and enjoy a tasty bite in a moment away from the madness. 3. Diet Lemonade. Watch 'em squeeze your own personally made thirst-quenching cup. So yummy. 4. Music stage outside Flannery's. I don't know who conceived this brilliant plan but I give them props for getting it done. 5. Too Much Rock For One Hand.T-shirts. A great way to #shoplocal for your t-shirts and support a great artist at the same time. 6. See The Hop! Yep, it was on-site and available for public tours. As where I work and live are on the line, I will probably use it from time to time so I'm glad I had the chance to tour and volunteered for a test drive! 7. Casablanca. Non-French, I know, but offering some delicious healthy fare at a street festival. Thanks for the choices! I could go on and on, I've barely skimmed the surface of what makes this free festival so fun. All I can say is go to watch people and be open to new experiences. So awesome! read more
still up there near the top of the Milwaukee summer festivals for me. Thursday its always crazy busy because of the 9 pm storm the Bastille 5k (if you've never done it - do it!) its probably my favorite 5k of all time. people running thru the streets of downtown after nightfall, crowds spilling out of bars to cheer everyone on...you will really feel some revolutionary fervor! Saturday is usually pretty busy all day because well, Saturday. Sunday is usually the most lowkey day and you can often get deals from the merchants. Regarding the merchandise theres a lot of nice quality stuff in a small space. Theres also tarot card readers, a French bulldog kissing booth, mimes, sword swallowers. While they don't usually book big names musically, there are several stages to keep people entertained. For whatever it's worth theres also always plenty of portopottys (sometimes it's the little things!) Lastly, two huge improvements I noticed this year: - lots and lots of French food options. there used to be beignets and then basically pizza, burgers, brats but now the food seems pretty French-Belgian-cajun and overall was delicious - the street car stops in the middle of the festival! no more walking a mile back to your car (or for some of us, home.) C'est magnifique! read more
Bastille Days = one of MKE's largest (FREE) outdoor street festivals. Get your France-y pants on, Milwaukee. For real though: great food vendors, fab entertainment (I saw a guy juggling knives, and another juggling FIRE ON A UNICYCLE!), awesome local arts/crafts/stuff for purchase, etc. It doesn't hurt that Yelp was there too, getting the good word out. AND WE WERE NEXT TO THE FRENCH BULLDOG RESCUE. (I die.) Storm the Bastille, great activities for kids, a giant but not so giant as the real thing Eiffel Tower, stellar bands, and loads and loads of four-one-four fun. Who could ask for more? read more
10 years ago
What's not fun about Bastille days. Drinking on the streets, food, lot's of vendors, and live music all over the place. This festival is another one of those Milwaukee gems that only this city does like it does. So much to see, so many people to watch and so much art and entertainment to enjoy. This is about as good as it gets here. Be prepared the place gets busy but it's so spread out because of the closed off blocks on top of blocks. Plus you can drink right out in the open while soaking up the fresh air and warm temperatures. I have enjoyed this festival 3 years in a row now and every year ids a little different from the last. I personally go for no other reason but to enjoy the crowd and people watch. Oh and drink. That's about enough for me. The live bands aren't to shabby either. Where else can you go and see a mini Eiffel tower! read more
13 years ago
Saying Bastille Days is French, is like saying Mo's Irish Pub is Irish. It ain't. They should call Bastille Days "Multicultural festival with a slight Parisian influence days". That would be more accurate. I went for lunch as I prefer not to stick around for drunk ass hole time. Although, even at 1pm on a Saturday, there were plenty of drunk men hollering at the can can dancers. I ate a falafel, a beignet, cheese curds, and a crepe with ice cream inside. The one semi french thing, the beignet, wasn't even that good. The vendors for the most part are selling crap items. You find half those summery dresses at summerfest/the fair/any summer festival. BE AWARE of the LGBT volunteers walking around asking for a minute of your time! I am a strong supporter of lesbian and gay rights, but they wanted me to set up a monthly payment ( for a human rights organization) with my credit card right then and there! I was super polite but the girl would not take no for an answer. Not a way to draw positive attention to your cause in my opinion... If you are going to come, come for the food and the puppies. I loves dogs and they were everywhere. You bet I was donating money to the French Bulldog rescue and kissing booth! Just don't expect much of the food to actually be French and you won't be disappointed! read more
I agree with Rachael G. Having moved here in 2011 and not going to Bastille Days, I was really anticipating going this year. Was disappointed to find very few aspects of the night to be of French influence. Most of the food that was being served was American BBQ. Not saying I don't love BBQ, but I came to eat French cuisine---not just only crepes & beignets. The crowd was interesting...a mix of Summerfest types and high societies. I was surprised to find this event sponsored by Bud Light instead of Miller Light. I also noticed many other instances of not supporting local businesses. The music was....ok I guess. The overall quality wasn't bad however the sound and production quality wasn't mind blowing either. Hope to come back next year with a change of heart and Yelp review. read more
11 years ago
Not a fan, I found it to be kind of lame. I expected much more Parisian or even just French themed foods and merchandise. Unfortunately, anything I'd consider French themed seemed to be in the minority here. read more
11 years ago
8 years ago
I'm always having a blast hopping from vendor to vendor finding new food items. The local bars and restaurants are crowded but fun during this event. The best place to get a beer or wine is Real Chili and the alley next to This Is It has a great bar set up with a happy hour every day including Sunday. One of a the best cultural and well attended festivals of the summer in Milwaukee. Oh, don't forget to check out the live entertainment in each tent and on Sunday the famous waiter and waitress race. read more
I've been attending Bastille Days for the last few years and always have a great time! We usually go on the first night. There's free admission, and live music. There are also lots of different food and drink stands to choose from. We either have the beignets or the crepes (both are delicious!), and walk around to peruse the stands/shops. There's an Eiffel Tower in the middle of the festival that is cute for pictures. I'm a fan! read more
10 years ago
4 years ago
8 years ago
I've conducted a scientific experiment and found it is not possible to experience Bastille Days without having fun. I won't bore you with my research methodology. A serious Francophile might be disappointed as there isn't much about this free festival that is authentically French, but there is a booth of French teachers so vous parlez en francais en peu, and another booth with pretty good crepes, c'est si bon. Some of the music is French influenced, zydeco, cajun, metis, and their cousins. I've found over the years that the music line up here has improved every year, and this year it was really excellent, considering the price of admission is nothing. For food, I've noticed that the vendors who were also at Summerfest have the best presentation and service, I think what's happened is in a trial by fire process, they started out with a random bunch of teen and retired age workers in the Big Gig, and the survivors of that island are the candidates for further festival work. This creaming process results in Bastille Days getting the best of the seasoned workers, but that's still a working theory. I think I also may have mixed metaphors in an unforgivable manner. The only (minor) problem with this festival is its own success, at its busiest times in the best weather days, the crowd can feel a bit claustrophobic, if you're a sweaty fat guy. There's also a minor problem with the location, the best way to enjoy this festival is to not worry about drinking and driving, or drinking and parking, or parking at all, so the bus or bike is the way to go, or rather the way to come. However, there aren't enough safe bike racks right around here, so you may have to be a little inventive. read more
11 years ago
10 years ago
It's America and its France cultural day. Why are 90% of the tents for food, american? Explain that to me? I had 2 options for dinner being authentic. The acrobats were cool. Some of the music wasn't too bad and actually kinda authentic. I suppose this would be the bee's knees if you havent been to France or know a bit of their culture. read more
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More info about Bastille Days
825 N Jefferson St
Milwaukee, WI 53202
East Town, Downtown
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(414) 897-8589
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