Learn all about Bastille Days in Milwaukee including festivities & how to save on hotel & airfare

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**Please note that this is a guide to the Bastille Day festivities in Milwaukee for 2022.  For more information about Milwaukee Bastille Day festivities for 2023, see our Milwaukee Bastille Day 2023 Guide.**

 

Bastille Day is known in France as La Fete Nationale, French National Day, or Le Quatorze Juillet, July 14th. July 14th is the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille and the beginning of the French Revolution. It is celebrated in France and many other places around the world.

Milwaukee Bastille Days

Milwaukee Bastille Days was named “One of the Best Bastille Days Celebrations in the World” – National Geographic

This beloved French Festival is coming back to Cathedral Square Park on July 14 to 17, 2022. It is one of the largest French themed celebrations in the United States, attracting more than 250,000 attendees each year.

The annual Storm the Bastille 5K Run/Walk will be happening on the first day of the festival at 9 pm. The 5K run and the 2 mile walk will lead participants through the streets of downtown Milwaukee and the Historic Third Ward.

Entertainment

The entertainment at Bastille Days will include

  • Extra Crispy Brass Band
  • The Spiders From Milwaukee
  • The Milwaukee Mandolin Orchestra
  • Ben Muwana Band
  • Lilie Fouts & Amelia Grace
  • Hildegard
  • Scott Berendt
  • Terrance Simien & The Zydeco Experience
  • Tommy Odetto
  • Lost In A Name
  • Brian Small
  • Madam Gigi’s Outrageous Can Can Dancers
  • John Stano
  • Captain
  • John Sieger Combo
  • Paradise Jazz Band
  • Big Spoon
  • The Brew City Rockers
  • Shad Lads
  • Something To Do
  • Sam Ness
  • The Hungry Williams
  • Vertigo
  • Aubrey Lee
  • Nineteen Thirteen
  • Jaxx
  • Al Dorn & The Blues Howlers
  • The Last Bees
  • Kojo
  • Buckwild
  • Six Pack Sammy
  • Brent Bel
  • Robin Pluer
  • Kreyol Roots
  • The First Wave
  • Olimar Sagno & Sindoola
  • Kevin Soucie
  • Strategic
  • This Is It Drag Show

Additional Event Information

This year Bastille Days is partnering with the Milwaukee Art Museum to feature their exhibit “Always New: The Posters of Jules Cheret.” Cheret was one of the first artists to bring large scale, colorful advertisements to the streets of Paris. Critics called it a “museum in the open air.”

Milwaukee Art Museum will host “Streets of Paris,” a weekend of French art and programming. They will host screening of the documentary “Myth of a Colorblind France.” Also offered will be gallery tours, hands on art making and more.

The Bastille Days Love Locks is sponsored by Master Lock Company in partnership with Reginald Baylor Studio and Bradley Tech High School’s welding program. Together they created a new interactive love locks sculpture. This was inspired by the Pont des Arts, a famous bridge in Paris where couples once locked their love.

Here’s how you can lock your love:

  • Buy a master lock from the Bastille Days Merchandise booth.
  • Write a message on your lock.
  • Lock your lock on any of the three sculptures.
  • Drop your key into the love locks container.

Bastille Days has an international marketplace which makes for a unique shopping experience. Enjoy delectable French and Cajun dishes and treats. Be surprised and entertained by roaming buskers.

Bring your family, bring your friends and see why people return to this festival year after year. After four days of nonstop fun, you’ll be counting down the days until the 2023 Bastille Days!

Hotel & Airfare Deals

If you’d like to visit Milwaukee during Bastille Days, you should consider the following hotels. They are all offering discounts which can save you money. Here are some of the best deals on hotels near the festival activities.

If you’re flying to Milwaukee, I’m sure you’d like to save money on your flight – who doesn’t – click here to get the lowest prices on your flight.