The West Coast’s largest Bastille Day celebration will take place on Saturday, July 13, 2013, from noon to 6:00 p.m. at Director Park. The Saturday festival will be free and open to the public and in 2012 attracted close to 8,000.
Director Park is located in central downtown Portland (near Regal Fox Tower and Nordstrom; between SW Yamhill and SW Taylor, and SW Park and SW 9th). The festival takes the entire Park as well as the two side streets. One street will feature food booths from Portland’s top French chefs.
Elsewhere in the park will be many fun activities, a huge French book sale hosted by the Alliance Française, arts & crafts vendors (including many importers of French products). Look for virtually every French immersion school in Portland to be represented, and offering a wide range of children’s activities. (For an idea of the ambiance, click here to see an online photo album of last year’s festival & run the slideshow.) New this year will be a Guillotine Photo booth sponsored by WillaKenzie Estate Winery.
For the complete Bastille Day brochure in web resolution (1MB), click here.
Music – Art – Waiters Race: Live music will be featured on the main stage throughout the day. The Portland Waiters Race will start at 2:30 pm. For the entertainment schedule, click here. The entertainment schedule will also be available in the free Alliance bulletin on hand at the Bastille Day event.
Exposition d’Art: New this year, all of Portland’s French language immersion schools will exhibit works of art from their students. Visit that exhibit in the Bosque area of the Park. Also look for demonstrations by “en plein air” painters and for the Alliance’s international photo exhibit, PLANETE FEMMES.
L’Avenue de la cuisine: The restaurant line-up will be formidable and French-themed menu options will be plentiful from such popular restaurants as the Heathman, Brasserie Montmartre, St Honore Bakery, C’est Si Bon, Ben and Jerry’s and more. For the food booth menus, click here.
And the superb wine garden will feature specialty cocktails by diamons sponsor, Hardy Cognac. For the Cognac cocktails menu, click here. You’ll also find refreshing beer, wine and even Normandy-style cider from Virtue Cider. For more about the wine, beer, and cider listing, click here.
Bastille en ville is presented by the Alliance Française of Portland. Premium Tier 1 sponsors are Hardy Cognac and the French American International School. Premium Tier 2 sponsors include Sunset Audi, the Heathman Restaurant and St Honore Bakery. In-kind sponsors are Perrier/Nestlé Waters USA, the Oregonian, Virtue Cider, the Heathman Hotel, Avanti Destinations, Bridgeport Brewing and others.
Craft and education vendor spots for this festival were completely booked as of April 2013. Email info@afportland.org or call 503.223.8388 with questions or to be waitlisted for vendor spots.
Waiters Race: Interested waiters can sign up online – click here for the online registration form.
