Vive la France! Where to Celebrate Bastille Day in L.A.

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Francophiles and French expats alike need to know where to celebrate today, Bastille Day. The French National Day commemorates the Storming of the Bastille on 14 July 1789, a turning point of the French Revolution, as well as the Fête de la Fédération which celebrated the unity of the French people on 14 July 1790. Celebrations are held throughout France. And while no one living in Los Angeles will be able to march on the Champs-Élysées in Paris, Los Angeles does have a plethora of ways to celebrate. Here is where to get your independence on in L.A. during Bastille Day 2017.

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• Church & State is offering a special menu to celebrate Independence Day, consisting of Vichyssoise, a chilled soup of leeks, onions, potatoes, and cream, Salade Lyonnaise with frisée, soft poached egg and bacon lardons; Bouillabaisse, a Provençal fish stew made with prawns, mussels, clams, rock fish, fennel, potato, leek, and rouille, and the Confit de Canard made of duck confit, ratatouille, pickled grapes, and duck jus. Website 
• French bistro Avec Nous at Viceroy L’Ermitage Beverly Hills will be extending their “14 – Four – $14.00” specialty offering, where guests can taste four French varietals for $14. Website
• For the 5th year, Riviera 31 inside Sofitel Los Angeles, will be the setting for Alliance Française’s Bastille Day fete. There will be French-inspired entertainment, Can-Can dancers and a French DJ. Website 
• If you drink rosé all day, Garçons de Café is the place for you. This downtown boite located in the Spring Arcade building downtown is offering unlimited rosé from 8 – 11 p.m. It’s not all day, but it comes close! Website
• Le Petit Paris will be hosting its Grand Apéro du 14 juillet festivities in collaboration with the Franco-American Chamber of Commerce. Indulge in a happy hour of pastis, tapas and rosé while French singer Sylvie Boisel croons French tunes in your ear. Website
• Make sure not to miss the specialty “La Liberte” galette at Crêpes sans Frontières downtown. Website
• Mama Shelter is doing its part to bring the party by securing Parisian DJ Laeticia Ponces. Website
• The La Resistance, a pop-up restaurant that takes place in a secret location, has returned for Bastille Day. Organizer Aurélie Blanc has created a bleu-blanc-rouge soirée, where guests are invited to have an apéritif over billiards and foosball before enjoying a dinner of le pot au feu or le poisson en papillote and crème brûlée, all set to French tunes. The evening ends with a film by Louis de Funès. Website