Named the third best Bastille Day celebration in the world by Reuters.com, Bastille Day Fête is returning to The Riverwalk’s Spanish Plaza on Saturday, July 11, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Bastille Day Fête is presented in partnership by the Alliance Française, the Consulate General of France in Louisiana, the French-American Chamber of Commerce, and the New Orleans Tourism & Marketing Corporation.

Among the many activities, Sunpie & the Louisiana Sunspots, T’Monde, and the Grammy-nominated Hot 8 Brass Band will all perform, there will be a Bastille Day Dog Costume Contest, French-themed kids’ activities, Bastille Day-themed photo booth, prizes, dancing, and family fun.

This year’s Bastille Day Fête again features French-themed cuisine from popular local hotspots, including Antoine’s, Crêpes à la Cart, Café Degas, Breads on Oak, St. James Cheese Factory, Petite Rouge Coffee Truck, and Plum Street Snoball.

The French National Day (Bastille Day) commemorates the storming of the Bastille, a fortress prison in Paris, on July 14, 1789. This event marked the first step towards bringing democracy to France. Today, on July 14, la Fête nationale is celebrated across the French-speaking world with festivals, balls, dances, parades and firework displays.

For more information on Bastille Day Fête and a full calendar of events in New Orleans, visit www.bastilledaynola.com.

A full calendar of events celebrating Bastille Day throughout the state of Louisiana can be found at www.befrench.org.