Festival lovers and people who enjoy French culture should head up to Milwaukee, Wisconsin for Bastille Days, a four day street party that is held July 9 to 12, 2009. Bastille Days is a free festival held on Cathedral Square that has a festive 
community feel.
For Bastille Days 2010, please see Bastille Days a festival with a French twist in Milwaukee
Bastille Days in Milwaukee is a street festival in the stylish East Town area. The streets are cordoned off around Cathedral Square and a 43 foot Eiffel Tower replica is installed for the Parisian festival. This year Bastille Days runs from July 9 to 12. Festival hours are 11 am to 11 pm on July 9 – 11 and 11 am to 9 pm on July 12.
Visitors can stroll the square and enjoy food, wine and the entertainment. In addition to the scheduled entertainers, there are impromptu street performers, minstrels and interactive entertainment.
There are four stages of entertainment. Highlights include The Duhks on Friday evening, Tab Benoit and Paul Cebar on Saturday evening and a Special Sunday Edition of Jazz in the Park with Swing Nouveau and Nabori on Sunday evening.
Some new fun attractions/angles this year include:
- · A Pooch Parade, where owners and their costumed dogs can put their fashion paws forward on Saturday, July 11 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
- · Live at the Louvre, where chalk artist Seth Sanders and urban aerosol artists Eliot Patterson and Ben Stark re-create famous French masterpieces along Jackson Street over the course of the festival
- · A Kiss-A-Thon, where participants can lock lips with their sweetie and win great prizes, capturing the romance of France on Friday, July 10
- · French Cheese Seminars hosted by renowned cheese expert Christi Menard, where attendees can learn about and sample specialty French cheeses at the Beaux Arts Stage on Friday, July 10 and Sunday, July 12
Chef and wine demonstrations are festival favorites. Milwaukee area chefs demonstrate their culinary expertise the festival and share some of their cooking secrets.
The Storming of the Bastille kicks off the festival every on Thursday evening at 9 pm
Entertainment at Bastille Days includes stage entertainment, street performances, chef demonstrations, wine demonstrations, an Alliance Francaise Culture Tent and Waiter / Waitress Race.
A French Mass is held at St. John’s Cathedral on Saturday evening. The mass is led by a French speaking priest and features French hymns.
Bastille Days is a free festival. For the schedule of entertainment, see the official Bastille Days website.
Milwaukee, Wisconsin is about 90 miles from Chicago, Illinois and is about a one to two hour drive for most people in the Chicagoland area.
Summertime festivals in Milwaukee
Tempel Lippizan Farms summer performances in Old Mill Creek Gurnee, Illinois
Bristol Renaissance Faire opens July 11 for nine weekends of fun
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