Bastille Day 2024 Press Release

Contact:

Sherry Charles
503.951.8494, sherryc@afportland.org

Le Bal PDX : Festive Bastille Day event on July 14, 2-7pm

Sunday afternoon, free Bastille Day Festival with live music, food,
wine & beer garden, huge used book sale, and children’s activities

Portland’s Bastille Day celebration this year will be an authentic “Bal du 14 juillet” at Castaway, the popular event venue in NW Portland. A mix of live music, dancing, food, drinks and general fun, the family-friendly free event will feature the music of Too Loose Cajun Zydeco Band; the Djangophiles Gypsy Jazz; Bob & Paul Cajun Duo; accordionist Ian Clemons and ‘caller’ William Watson will teach traditional folk dances from around France. Food will be available for purchase on the shady terrace, along with the beer and wine garden. Children’s craft activities will be held in the air conditioned indoors space. The event’s traditional used books sale in French and English will be offered again this year. Pétanque, the popular French outdoor game, will be hosted by event sponsor Versailles Gardens at NW 19^th and NW Upshur.

This year’s festival is taking place on the actual French holiday, July 14.  Bastille Day, the French national holiday, honors the storming of the Bastille, a Royal fortress and prison in Paris, in 1789. The fall of the Bastille was a dramatic turning point in the French Revolution, a movement that deposed France’s monarchy and inspired peoples around the globe to demand fairness and equality from their rulers. Bastille Day is celebrated in towns large and small in France and often includes a “bal des pompiers” where citizens of all ages gather in fire houses and dance the night away. The Alliance Française in Portland invites francophiles, people interested in a cultural experience, and the Oregon French community to celebrate together. The Portland event is one of the largest Bastille Day festivals on the West Coast.

When: July 14, 2024, 2-7pm

Where: Castaway, at 1900 NW 18th Avenue at NW Upshur, Portland

Who: Hosted by the Alliance Française de Portland

More: For more information visit https://www.afportland.org/events/bastille-day/

About the Alliance Française

The Alliance Française is a worldwide non-profit organization with the mission of promoting Francophone culture and language and cross-cultural understanding. The Alliance Française, headquartered in Paris, was established in the year 1883 and currently has 829 chapters in 132 countries around the world. Started in 1933, the Alliance Française de Portland is the only Alliance in Oregon. The group’s mission is to provide top quality French language continuing education classes at affordable cost and to promote Francophone culture. 

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