Is Milwaukee’s Bastille Days the biggest French-themed outdoor festival in the United States? We did some research and weren’t able to find anything that beats it, so yes! More than a quarter-million visitors visit Cathedral Square Park every year for the four-day event, which this year will take place:
- Thursday, July 9 — 11 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.
- Friday, July 10 — 11 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.
- Saturday, July 11 — 11 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.
- Sunday, July 12 — 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
If you’re not sure where Cathedral Square Park is, you probably don’t know the names of any of the streets that border it. But, just in case, it’s between East Wells Street and East Kilbourn Avenue on the north-south sides and North Jefferson Street and North Jackson Street on east-west sides.
Precise location isn’t super important because you’d need to be pretty fortunate to park near the grounds, so you have a couple options. One is to circle the general vicinity and hope for an open parking meter. Another is to find a paid parking structure somewhere nearby.
A third (and our favorite) option is to take the Hop’s M-Line, which is totally free and stops right in the middle of the festival. A quick glance at their interactive map indicates you could park as far away as County Clare or the Milwaukee Intermodal Station and ride in style to the event while saving your steps for the fun part of your day…