Experience Paris: Storm the Bastille.

Want to experience Paris without the cost of international travel?

Vouloir, c'est pouvoir!

Bastille Days, one of the United States' largest French festivals, returns to downtown Milwaukee's Cathedral Square Park July 13—16, 2017, with a 43-foot Eiffel Tower replica, gourmet Parisian cuisine and live music.

Over the course of the festival, groups could enjoy music across five stages: French ballads, jazz, folk, Cajun, zydeco and rock. Madame Gigi's Outrageous Cancan Dancers and Edith Piaf classics from Robin Pluer will perform alongside strolling musicians, fine artists and other street performers.

Additionally, the festival will feature bizarre performances from Carnival of Curiosity and Chaos, a larger-than-life masterpiece under the Eiffel Tower from nationally recognized chalk artist Seth Sanders, three Mardi Gras-themed parades, and impressive obstacle course feats from local restaurants during the annual Waiter/Waitress Race.

Bastille Days will host more than 90 merchant booths and nearly 30 restaurants—offering an international selection for any palate. Groups could indulge in French favorites, including beignets, crepes, wine and champagne, and purchase gifts such as Provençal fabrics, soaps, cards and art.

Groups could also get a chance to re-enact history during the late-night Storm the Bastille 5K run/walk. Each year, more than 5,000 runners and walkers travel through the streets of downtown Milwaukee and the Historic Third Ward to re-enact the revolutionary storming of the Bastille prison by the Parisians in the 18th century.

Visit www.bastilledaysfestival.com for more information.

Written by Cassie Westrate, staff writer for Groups Today.

Photo courtesy of Melissa Miller, Music Photography.