This week, Bastille Day events will be hosted around Washington, D.C. The French celebrate this day as “Fête nationale française,” the anniversary of the Storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789 and the unification of France on July 14, 1790. Bastille Day is the name for the holiday that is used in English-speaking countries. Either way, the holiday presents many great opportunities to experience French culture in our nation’s capital.
Lady Liberty’s “Little Sister” arrives in Washington, D.C. on July 14! The statue will be dedicated at a limited-attendance ceremony at the French Ambassador’s Residence.
Bastille Day – Discover the Savoie Region of France will be held at the French Embassy. This event will actually take place on Friday, July 16, and it will celebrate the Embassy’s reopening and the unique heritage of Savoie, the heart of the French Alps. The event is a fundraiser for the Comité Tricolore.
As part of the Sounds of Hope & Harmony series of outdoor, socially-distanced concerts in Alexandria, Liberté chérie: A Bastille Day Celebration will take place at The Rectory on Princess Street. Guests will enjoy a feast paired with champagne and fine French wine and a musical program of French songs and opera arias. This event takes place on Saturday, July 17.
The Washington Monument re-opens on July 14. Take a ride to the top to celebrate the long-standing French-American alliance that originated with the friendship between President George Washington and Marquis de Lafayette.
Go for a run! DC Road Runners will host a Bastille Day 4-Miler starting at 7 am at the Boathouse at Fletcher’s Cove.
Additional Bastille Day events will be held at area restaurants. You can find a list here.