FRENCH FESTIVAL CELEBRATES ALL THINGS FRENCHSmiling families dine at sidewalk cafés with checkered tableclothes and umbrellas. Starry-eyed couples toast each other with wine. Artists wearing bérets paint at their easels. The air is filled with music, laughter, and the tempting aromas of French cuisine. Surely this must be France? Actually, it's the 23rd Annual French Festival in Santa Barbara, Saturday and Sunday, July 17 and 18, 2010 (Bastille Day Weekend), from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. in Santa Barbara's Oak Park. Admission is free. While Parisians celebrate the French Revolution 8,000 miles away, Californians will revel in the sights, sounds, foods and joie de vivre of France at the largest French celebration in the Western United States. Over 20,000 people are expected to attend. It's where America celebrates France! Non-stop free entertainment fills three stages, including cancan, Moroccan belly dancers, grand opera, hot jazz a la Django Reinhardt, the Femmes Fatales Drag Review, French Tahitian dance, African drumming and dance, and cabaret music in the tradition of Edith Piaf and Maurice Chevalier. Wandering mimes, jugglers, and accordion players will perform throughout the crowd. New this year are the Petits Chanteurs boys choir from Aix-en-Provence, France. Dozens of chefs prepare fine French food ... everything from crêpes to quiche, from café au lait to decadent desserts and pastries. Enjoy Perrier, French beer, wine, champagne, and soft drinks. Sunday afternoon is the famous Poodle Parade, a promenade of canine topiary under the Festival's huge Eiffel Tower. C'est magnifique! Win a trip for two to Paris or Tahiti on Air Tahiti Nui. The festival is sponsored by Perrier, Dish Network International, HiddenProvence.com and Kronenbourg. The French Festival is Santa Barbara's first non-smoking festival! For more information call (805) 564-PARIS (805-564-7274), or go to www.frenchfestival.com. |