Bastille Days Begins

Milwaukee's popular French festival, Bastille Days, kicks off Thursday, July 14 in Cathedral Square Park.

The event draws thousands of people every year, and this year even a man from France.

Carl de la Chapelle lives in Paris, but his in-laws live here in the Milwaukee area.

Tonight he and about 5,000 others will run through the streets of Milwaukee for the "Storm the Bastille" 5K. He'll also enjoy the festival all weekend long.

Carl has been to Bastille Day celebrations around the globe, but he says if he's not going to be in France, Milwaukee is his first choice.

"I was really surprised to see how big of an event this was, because you have some French people in the area but not so many when you think about it. People get together and really have fun. You can really have a good view over all the French experience and you can see a lot of things, and taste a lot of things. It's really nice. I was really surprised," he said.

Carl says while you can sample plenty of french cuisine at the festival, he'll be eating American hamburgers, because we know how to cook them here in Milwaukee.

Food and flavor are the centerpieces behind the 35th Annual Bastille Days this weekend. In fact, there are 30 restaurants represented.

The festival runs though Sunday. Admission is free. For more information about the daily schedule, head to the event's website here.