60th St. between Fifth & Lexington Aves.
Sunday, July 11, free, 12 noon – 6:00 pm
www.bastilledaynyc.com
www.fiaf.org
On July 14, 1789, a Parisian mob stormed the Bastille prison, a symbolic victory that kicked off the French Revolution and the establishment of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. Ever since, July 14 has been a national holiday celebrating liberté, égalité, and fraternité. In New York City, the festivities take place along Sixtieth St., where the French Institute Alliance Française hosts a daylong party of food, music, dance, and other special activities. There will be tastings ($8-$15) inside FIAF, including wine and cheese, cocktails, and beer; a Citroën car show; live performances by Veveritse, Cancan Dancers, Pierre de Gaillande, Gay Marshall doing Edith Piaf, Les Chauds Lapins, Malika Zarra, accordionist Harlan Muir, Les Sans Culottes, and Banda Magda; storytelling by Michèle Voltaire Marcelin; such races as the stationary Tour de France and the Garçons de Café; free language and food workshops; a children’s pétanque contest, arts and crafts, face painting, and kids’ games; raffles and drawings; and, this being a French fair, a mime act.