Liberté. Égalité. Après-ski. Bastille Day is hitting Claude Lane and we're throwing the block party to match. Live music, great food, and no cover. Come as you are — beret optional.

A Little History — Why July 14th Matters

On July 14, 1789, a crowd of Parisians stormed the Bastille, a fortress-prison that had become a symbol of royal tyranny; igniting the French Revolution and changing the course of history. The day marked the beginning of the end for the French monarchy and the rise of the ideals of liberté, égalité, fraternité that still resonate today. France has celebrated it as its national holiday ever since.

San Francisco's Bastille Day goes way back.

San Francisco's connection to France runs deep, starting with the Gold Rush of the 1850s, when a wave of French immigrants settled in the city, particularly around Clay and Bush Streets, founding stores, restaurants, and bakeries that gave the neighborhood its character. The city earned the nickname "Paris of the West" because of its large French population, and in 1880, San Francisco hosted what is considered the first Bastille Day celebration in the United States — the same year France officially began observing the holiday.

Celebrations peaked with the 1889 bicentennial of the French Revolution, with a city parade covered by the San Francisco Examiner. That tradition has continued ever since, making San Francisco one of the most enthusiastic Bastille Day cities in the country.

We're proud to carry that spirit down Claude Lane. See you July 14th.