C’est magnifique! Bastille Day is almost here, and with the 2024 Paris Olympics bringing up the rear, this year promises to be one of the most festively French summers in history. Fear not though, you don’t have to hop a flight to join in the fun! Here’s a sampling of Bay Area ways to unlock your inner Parisian this Bastille Day.
Battle for Bordeaux: 6 p.m. July 10, Flanerie Wine, 617 Florida St., San Francisco. Celebrate Bastille Day by diving into the rich diversity of Bordeaux wines, sampling the finest selections each region has to offer. Participants will savor and assess the unique characteristics of each wine, culminating in a lively debate to determine which bank reigns supreme. Come raise a glass, celebrate French heritage, and cast your vote in this ultimate Bordeaux showdown. $80. tinyurl.com/BattleBordeaux
Bastille Day at The Alexandria Center: 5 to 9 p.m. July 11, The Alexandria Center for Life Science, 835 Industrial Road, San Carlos. This Bastille Day celebration features wine specials, fresh pastries, French trivia, prizes and festive dancing. Free admission. tinyurl.com/AlexandriaBastille
Bastille on Belden: 4:30 to 9:30 p.m. July 12, Belden Place, San Francisco. Once the home of Frenchmen seeking riches during the Gold Rush, Belden Place is the perfect spot to celebrate Bastille Day. Let the classic accordion music of Vintage Jukebox, festive decor, restaurant promotions and complimentary berets remind you why SF was once called the Paris of the West. Free admission. tinyurl.com/BastilleonBelden
Bastille Day Celebration Cocktail: 5 to 7 p.m. July 12, BGV, 1600 El Camino Real, Suite 280, Menlo Park. Celebrate Bastille Day while mingling with fellow entrepreneurs, executives, investors and French enthusiasts. It’s the perfect occasion to reconnect or forge new relationships around delicious canapes and wine. $20. tinyurl.com/BastilleCocktail
Bastille Day at Paris 75: 9 p.m. July 12, Paris 75, 515 Broadway, San Francisco. Celebrate Bastille Day in style with this festive party presented by Paris 75 and WPXL 70.7 FM. Enjoy delicious French food while grooving to French house and disco tunes. Free admission. tinyurl.com/BastilleParis75
Bastille Day at Left Bank Brasserie: July 12-14, various Left Bank venues. In honor of Bastille Day, this group of Parisian-style brasseries will feature special menu additions. On July 14, select locations will also be hosting Bastille Day celebrations. Be whisked away to Paris with rustic, authentic French dishes, live music and festive entertainment, plus blue, blanc and rouge decorations. Find additional info at leftbank.com/events/bastille-day-2024
Bastille Day Fete & Pizza Pop-Up: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. July 13, Gold Ridge Organic Farms, 3387 Canfield Road, Sebastopol. Enjoy a pizza pop-up collaboration between Gold Ridge Organic Farms and Boonville Barn Collective. These Anderson Valley artisans will be cultivating an array of delicious, locally grown farm-to-jar chile peppers, including the Barn’s signature Piment d’Ville (a California version of France’s Piment d’Espelette). Free admission, reservations encouraged. goldridgeorganicfarms.com/events/72
Bastille Day SF Festival: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. July 13, Design Center Galleria, 101 Henry Adams St., San Francisco. This annual festival will celebrate Bastille Day with French food, drinks, musicians, artists, a vintage Citroen car show and a late-night dance party. New this year is a sneak peek of the Paris Summer Games featuring sports demonstrations and interviews with Olympians/Paralympians. $15 to $20 admission. celebratebastilledaysf.org/
Bastille Day with Sosie Wines: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. July 13-14, Sosie Wines, 25C E. Napa St., Sonoma. Join Sosie Wines for a Bastille Day celebration featuring French-style wine, cheese, charcuterie and bread plus a screening of the famous French movie, “Amelie,” for a full immersion into French culture. Prices vary. tinyurl.com/SosieBastille
Bastille Day Soirée: 12 to 3 p.m. July 13, Rockridge Market Hall, 5655 College Ave., Oakland. Celebrate all things délicieux, including French cheeses, charcuterie and French ingredients from Market Hall Foods, plus pastries at Market Hall Bakery and Moules Frites at Hapuku Fish Shop, French wines from Paul Marcus Wines, sausages at Marin Sun Farms and more. Free admission. rockridgemarkethall.com/events/bastille-day-july-2024
Bastille Day at Bouchon Bistro: 3 to 9 p.m. July 13, Bouchon Bistro, 6534 Washington St., Yountville. Bastille Fête! Head to Yountville to join Bouchon Bistro’s annual Bastille Day celebration, complete with festive food, drinks, live music and fun activities for the whole family. $0 to $50. visitnapavalley.com/event/bastille-day-celebration/12515/
Bastille Day Concert with Le Jazz Hot Quartet: 6 p.m. July 13, Mechanics’ Institute, 57 Post St., San Francisco. Celebrate liberté, égalité and fraternité with a concert by the Le Jazz Hot Quartet, which brings all the passion and sizzle of French Gypsy Jazz created by guitarist Jean “Django” Reinhardt of the world famous Hot Club de France. Dress up or down or in tricolour for this festive night of exuberant music. $20 to $30. milibrary.org/events/bastille-day-concert-jul-13-2024
Bardot a Go Go’s Bastille Day Bash: 9 p.m. July 13, Rickshaw Stop, 155 Fell St., San Francisco. Celebrate France’s national holiday with the best in decadent ’60s French pop, from Brigitte Bardot and Serge Gainsbourg to Jacques Dutronc and Francoise Hardy. There will also be spinning sounds from DJ Brother Grimm, hailed as the “Best Substitute for a Parisian Disco” by the Bay Guardian. $10 to $15. tinyurl.com/BastilleBardot
Bastille Day at Bricoleur Vineyards: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 14, Bricoleur Vineyards, 7394 Starr Road, Windsor. Experience a taste of French culture in Sonoma County with a day filled with exceptional wines, delectable French-inspired cuisine and live music that will transport you to the streets of Paris. Vive la France! $125. tinyurl.com/BastilleBricoleur
Bastille Day at City Center: 12 to 4 p.m. July 14, City Center Bishop Ranch, 6000 Bollinger Canyon Road, San Ramon. Celebrate 2024’s Paris Olympics with a vibrant Bastille Day cultural extravaganza. Enjoy live Parisian music, delectable French macarons, a mime, a juggler, a magician, a bubble artist, lawn games and an Eiffel Tower photo backdrop. Free admission. citycenterbishopranch.com/events/bastille-day/