First Ever Bastille Day Celebration To Be Held In Central Park

CENTRAL PARK — For the first time in New York City, a special Bastille Day celebration will be held in Central Park.

On Wednesday, July 14, the celebration will take place at the Capital One City Parks Foundation SummerStage.

The celebration will include a performance by a jazz quintet headlined b y Kavita Shah, a get-up-and-dance set with film clips by star Joachim Garraud (who has collaborated with David Guetta, Mylène Farmer, and Kylie Minogue) and a screening of the 2020 French comedy My Donkey, My Lover & I (Antoinette dans les Cévennes) starring the delightful Laure Calamy (Call My Agent!).

Bastille Day commemorates the storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789 and the birth of the modern French nation. For the French Consulate, Bastille Day is always a celebration of the French community and the French-American friendship.

Schedule of Events:

WEDNESDAY, JULY 14

5PM — Doors Open
6:30PM — Opening Address

• Jérémie Robert, Consul General of France in New York

Marie-Monique Steckel, President of FIAF

Gérard Epelbaum, President of CAFUSA

6:40PM — National Anthems of France and the United States

• Singer Marie Viapiano with Les Cadets Lafayette Fanfare conducted by Jacques LeTalon

6:50PM — Jazz quintet with Vocalist Kavita Shah

• The Bastille Day celebration kicks off with a live jazz band performing a selection of beloved French classics. The quintet is headlined by French Grammy-nominated singer Kavita Shah, and features Matt Munisteri on guitar, Matt Penman on bass, Ferenc Nemeth on drums, and Olivier Manchon on violin.

FNAMM, which supports the development of French and francophone artists, assisted in bringing together this top-notch ensemble.7:30PM — French House Dance Party with Joachim Garraud

• Joachim Garraud, an important member of the French Touch (or French House) music scene will mix classic French electronic and house music with movie excerpts on the big screen. Garraud's portion of the evening will turn the festivities into a lively dance party!

8:20PM — Film: My Donkey, My Lover & I (Antoinette dans les Cévennes)

• Dir. Caroline Vignal, France, 2020

With Laure Calamy, Benjamin Lavernhe, Olivia Côte
In French with English subtitles

Cannes Label 2020

More information is available at fiaf.org/bastilleday and newyork.consulfrance.org/-Bastille-Day.