MILWAUKEE — Summer festival season is in full swing and Bastille Days is back again for its annual four day festival in Milwaukee's Cathedral Square.
Milwaukee and Wisconsin have a rich French history. Some of the first immigrants to arrive in Wisconsin were French and French-Canadian fur traders. French-Canadian fur trader, Solomon Juneau, helped found the city and was its first mayor. Also, did you know, the state's name used to be pronounced 'Ouisconsin'. It was a French mispronunciation of an Algonquin word for the state.
As is tradition, thousands of people also came to the first night of the festival for the Storming of the Bastille race. Runners came in athletic gear and their best French fits. We're talking stripped shirts, red berets, and scarves.
"We are a free downtown street festival that brings in people from all over the world, and it is a festival like you said before, you can't name a favorite, but this is definitely a fan favorite for many. So we have local vendors, we have French vendors, we have people who travel far and wide to be here, not just for the run, which is special as you mentioned, but the festival that celebrates French flair, whimsy, and just Milwaukee in general," Tammy Brockhorst, the Executive Director of the East Town Association, said.
Attendees can get to the festival via the Hop streetcar, which runs until midnight Thursday night and is extended until 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. Scooters and bikes are also options, though scooter riders should note there is designated scooter parking and riding is not permitted on the festival grounds.
Watch the videos below to see what it was like on the first day of Bastille Days...
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