San Francisco Bay Area Celebrates Bastille Day  

The San Francisco Bay Area has been celebrating France’s Bastille Day since 1880, which was the first year that France celebrated it too. The Bay Area events this year are going to be big and numerous due to the eagerness to gather as Covid becomes a manageable background concern and the Paris Olympics start 11 days later.

The biggest celebration is the Comité Official Bastille Day SF Festival that will be held at the San Francisco Design Center Galleria on Saturday, July 13th. It will include two events starting with a festival and ending with an evening dance party. But it is one of many events ranging from celebrating with baguettes to lots of French music to enjoying French cocktails and friends. 

“There is a resurgence of Bastille Day celebrations around the Bay Area this year,” said Chloé Soroquère, President of Comité Officiel.  “Enjoying French food and drinks has always been a popular way to bring people together, regardless of nationality. After the isolation of COVID and the current low infection rates, everyone is eager to celebrate. The Bastille Day SF Festival and the new Dance Party remain the largest celebrations in the Bay Area.” 

The city’s strong connection with France started with the 1850s Gold Rush which brought a huge population of French that settled in the area around Clay and Bush streets. That area became a Frenchtown of stores that provided tools and services to miners, along with many restaurants and bakeries that made baguette bread with the San Francisco sourdough touch. San Francisco is called the Paris of the West because of its huge French population.

According to Claudine Chalmers in her book French San Francisco, the 1880 San Francisco Bastille Day celebration took place in Woodward’s Gardens.  It was an amusement park, museum, art gallery, zoo and aquarium that operated from 1866 to 1891 and covered two city blocks in the Mission District of San Francisco. Celebrations peaked with the 1889 bicentennial of the French Revolution and the city parade was covered by the San Francisco Examiner newspaper. 

This year, July 14 is a Sunday so many of the celebrations are on the Friday or Saturday before. Here’s a list of some of the top events to plan your weekend of partying.

Comité Official Bastille Day SF Festival and Dance Party, July 13, starting at 11am

The Bastille Day Festival and Dance Party will run from 11am to 5pm with French vendors showcasing their goods and food, wine, beer, art, culture and entertainment. Music performances will include a local Polynesian dancing group along with live music. In addition, there will be climate change information and discussions as a key focus of the festival. 

“We share common concerns about the impact of climate change in our respective countries, and our communities pursue the same goals of adaptation and resilience,” said Soroquère. “This year’s Bastille Day celebration will focus on climate adaptation and solutions, emphasizing the urgent need to accelerate efforts to reduce emissions.”

It’s also the year of the Paris Olympics and the festival will include several Bay Area Olympians who will share their experiences and offer discipline demos including fencing and break dancing.

The Dance Party runs from 7pm to 11pm with music by French SF DJ Frank Boissy, a Cancan show plus French food from My French Cuisine and a bar.

Alliance Française de Santa Rosa Bastille Day at Goguette Bread, July 12, starting at 4pm

What better place to celebrate Bastille Day than at a French-style bakery. The Alliance Française de Santa Rosa is holding its third annual gathering at Goguette Bread where celebrants will enjoy breads and ice cream from Goguette, along with wine and croque-monsieurs, Parisian-style ham, sausages and pâtes from Maison Porcella. There will be kids’ activities, probably in French.

French American Chamber of Commerce and La French Tech SF Cocktail Celebration, July 12, 5 – 7pm

A Silicon Valley celebration will be Bastille Day Celebration Cocktail in Menlo Park. Not only will there be French enthusiasts but fellow entrepreneurs, executives and investors will reconnect or forge new relationships toasting French technology and business with French wine and canapes. Open to all professionals in Silicon Valley.

Alliance Française de Sacramento Fête Nationale, July 13, 6pm – 10 pm

The party will provide fun events for adults, teens and kids. The Alliance Française de Sacramento Fête Nationale will offer local vendors offering French wines and beers, beverages, food and desserts for sale and to eat on site. Interactive games, fun activities and guest performers for kids will keep the family entertained while music, singers and karaoke will keep the adults dancing through the evening.

Mechanics’ Institute 170th Anniversary Open House, July 13, starts 12pm

Founded in 1854, the Mechanics’ Institute is one of the oldest institutions on the West Coast. It’s blending its 170th Anniversary Open House with Bastille Day by creating a series of events that celebrate the Institute and end with a Bastille Day jazz concert with Le Jazz Hot Quartet featuring French Gypsy Jazz created in Paris circa 1920.   

Bastille on Belden, July 12, 4:30pm – 9:30pm

Once a major part of Frenchtown in San Francisco during the Gold Rush, the restaurants of Beldon Place will offer menu promotions as everyone enjoys festive décor, French Vintage Jukebox accordion music and complimentary berets to remind everyone why San Francisco is called the Paris of the West.

Annual EuroWest Model Train Show, San Carlos, July 13 and 14, 10am to 5pm

The theme for this annual event is Celebrating French Railways. Fans will see European model train layouts in operation, manufacturer displays, view lectures and presentations about the history of the French railway.  There will be trains for sale, lots of children’s activities, a raffle and silent auction.  All aboard.

Alliance Française Napa Valley, July 14, starting at 4pm

A private estate in Napa Vally will be the location for the Alliance Française Napa Valley Bastille Day Celebration. Indulge in French cuisine and fine wines while enjoying a jazz band under the summer stars.

Alliance Française Berkeley Garden Dance Party, July 14, 11am – 1pm

Dance in the Alliance Française Berkeley gardens while enjoying ham sandwiches. Attendees are asked to bring their own bottle of wine to share but be ready to do the minuet dance to a popular French rap song. Just bringing everything old up to date with a new spin.

There will be more Bastille Day events scheduled this Paris Olympics year, so explore the many options here to enjoy a Bastille Day celebration. Que la fête commence.