Vancouver hosted its first free public Bastille Day!

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For the first time, the French Community invited the Vancouverites to celebrate Bastille Day Festival on July 14th, France’s National Day - called La Fête Nationale in French. A taste of France in Vancouver!

Bastille Day was a free, public festival taking place on Granville Island on the Public Market Courtyard on Tuesday, July 14 from 4:00PM to 1:00AM. A variety of French culture activities was held on Granville Island. For this unique afternoon, the Public Market Courtyard has been turned blue, white and red and transformed into a typical quartier français – French neighborhood. Events included activities such as: French giant picnic, traditional waiters’ race, photobooth to recreate the Parisian dream, French music concerts, a French dog contest, mime performances... Face painting, French storytelling and arts activities were also planned for children.

Guests were invited to take a chance to participate to two raffles to win prestigious
prizes such as 2 flight tickets to France with Air France or a 4-course dinner for 6 guests at the Fairmont Pacific Rim.

From 10 pm, the celebration continued at the Backstage Lounge. French DJs animated what we famously call "le Bal des pompiers".

This annual event already happening in Toronto, Montreal, New-York, Sydney, London gathered thousands of participants and this year it was brought for the very first time in Vancouver. Local French institutions – French Consulate and the Alliance Française - have decided to join their forces to offer all Vancouverites an experience of the French culture and traditions.

We need you!

JPEG This event was the very first of its kind. The association Bastille Day Festival Society is still only a few months old and was in need of your support for the artists, local entreprises and associations to come and showcase the "art de vivre à la française". Many of you helped the association and we would like to thank you again for your generous and so helpful support.

The non-profit association already could count on the support of Air France, Bouygues, Hermès, Faubourg, Dalkia... The French Consulate was also a sponsor of the event.

Half of the funds were given to the firemen of Vancouver. And for any contributions of $30 or more, a free ticket was offered to the Backstage Lounge.

What are we celebrating on Bastille Day?

Bastille Day is the name given in English-speaking countries to the French National Day, which is celebrated on 14 July each year. In France, it is formally called La Fête nationale and commonly Le quatorze juillet.

On July 14, 1789 a starving, poor and oppressed mob of 8,000 people stormed La Bastille, a medieval fortress and prison in Paris and symbol of the Royal authority. For the popular class, the Bastille stood as a symbol of the hypocrisy and corruption of the monarchic government - controlled mostly by nobility and clergy. The storming of La Bastille was the spark that set off the French Revolution, the end of the monarchy and beginning of the modern republic.

This revolution led to the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen of 26 August 1789 - the precursor to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1948.