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The French Institute Alliance Francaise (FIAF) is holding New York City’s largest celebration of Bastille Day! This 20+ year neighborhood event is returning to Madison Avenue on Sunday, July 16, 2023, from 12 pm to 5 pm. Celebrate France’s national holiday with activities that showcase the best of French culture and food.
The Bastille Day Main Stage is at 59th Street and Madison Avenue. It is free and open to the public. At 12:40 pm, cast members from Broadway’s “Moulin Rouge! The Musical” will perform excerpts from the show.
At 1:30 pm, Naomi Greene blends vocals with harp arrangements and indie rock. Malika Zarra performs songs in Berber, Moroccan, French, Arabic and English at 2:45 pm. At 4 pm, BobyGroove will spin electro beats.
If you liked what you heard of “Moulin Rouge,” take advantage of a sale to save money by booking your ticket here.
The Rose & Bubbly Party will have tastings of fine wines and champagnes. They will be paired with madeleines, mini-quiches, macarons and cheese. Saint Martin’s renowned steel drum band Jolly Boys will be performing at the party.
The French Garden
The French Garden is on Madison Avenue between 60th and 61st streets. It will showcase luxury shops, including
- La Maison du Chocolat
- Delice Melissa
- Babette
- Le Petit Parisian
- French Bloom
- Cafe d’Avignon
- FIAF Boutique
- Beautyque
- Angelina Paris
- L’Or Coffee
It will be open from noon to 5 pm.
Additional Festivities
50+ Market Booths will be on Madison Avenue with a range of French food, merchandise and lifestyle purveyors. There will be a special Saint Martin Experience booth.
Kids and their families can take part in classic playground games and fitness challenges led by coaches from Asphalt Green. Instructors from the FIAF Language Center will host a Bastille Day themed coloring corner.
There will be a prize drawing and you can purchase tickets for the drawings. The Grand Prize is a 5 day getaway for 2 to Saint Martin. You can also win 2 tickets to “Moulin Rouge! The Musical.”
The Greater Citroen & Velosolex Club’s Annual Bastille Day Rally and Rendez-Vous will be on 60th Street, on the west side of 3rd Avenue. Get a close up look at their classic models of the very popular French car. Multiple petanque (classic French yard game) courts will be set up for free games.
French Cuisine
If you liked the French food at the Bastille Day celebration and want to learn more about French cooking, try these cookbooks. You can see how much you can save on each cookbook by using our links.
- “A Table: Recipes For Cooking & Eating The French Way” by Rebekah Peppler and Joann Pai
- “Simple French Baking” by Manon Lagreve
- “Around My French Table” by Dorie Greenspan
Or you can enjoy French cuisine at the 10 Best French Restaurants in New York City as chosen by the users of TripAdvisor.
- Boucherie Union Square
- The Consulate UWS
- Boucherie West Village
- Petite Boucherie
- La Grande Boucherie
- Mille-Feuille Bakery
- Daniel
- Amelie
- Le Bernardin
- Per Se
NYC Hotels
If you’d like to visit New York City for Bastille Day, you should consider the following hotels. They are all offering discounted rates which could save you money on your stay.
- The Westin New York Grand Central 51% Discount
- Walker Hotel Tribeca 30% Discount
- Hotel 32 32 26% Discount
- The Manhattan at Times Square Hotel 26% Discount
- The Sohotel 25% Discount
- Pestana Park Avenue 20% Discount
- Moxy NYC Downtown 15% Discount
- Ace Hotel New York 15% Discount
- Hyatt Grand Central New York 15% Discount
- Omni Berkshire Place 15% Discount
- Hotel Indigo Lower East Side New York, an IHG Hotel 15% Discount
- Truss Hotel Times Square 15% Discount
- Soho Grand Hotel 15% Discount
- Kimpton Hotel Eventi, an IHG Hotel 15% Discount
- JW Marriott Essex House New York 15% Discount
- Hotel Elysee by Library Hotel Collection 13% Discount
- The FIDI Hotel 12% Discount
- The Marlton Hotel 11% Discount
- The Renwick 11% Discount
- Ameritania Hotel at Times Square 11% Discount
- Artezen Hotel 10% Discount
- The Hotel Chelsea 10% Discount
- Broadway Plaza Hotel 10% Discount
- Moderne Hotel 10% Discount
- The Fifty Sonesta Select New York 10% Discount
- The Moore 10% Discount