Sacramento Bastille Day

Free event! There were complimentary samples from various Handle District restaurants. Aioli Bodega Espanola was the most generous with several different items including profiteroles, even though it's a Spanish restaurant. It was hot outside, but there were also plenty of beverages to help people cool down. The main event was the waiter's race. I'm not sure who won as it's not just about who finishes first, but the waiter isn't supposed to spill water either. Kids also raced with water balloons. There was a photo booth. Or you could take a picture with the mini Eiffel Tower that was erected. It was a great way to spend a Sunday. Merci!

Delicious Food, Refreshing Drinks, English Ka-niggets & silly French Persons! SITREPIt's a lovely afternoon in the Handle District in Midtown Sacramento! THE RACEWe are enjoying Bastille Day and the centerpiece of the festival is 50 of the most talented & dexterous local waiters who all race in the Sacramento Bastille Day Race!What a rip roaring time, but sadly, some of the waiters take spills, and platters of broken glass must be cleaned up.VENDING & BOOTHS* Plenty of drinks - from the lemonades, ales & beers and ciders that I sampled. And there was more.* Plenty of food for people to sample - from tacos to sushi wrap & spicy nachos that I sampled. And there was more.* Yelp Booth! This is the part where I come in - I got to work the Yelp Booth with illustrious team leader Alex L. and associates Jenni L. and Lucy M. We had the "Wheel.....OF FORTUNE!" up and running and giving out some great swag! You know, the usual: pens, mints, fans, stickers, fingerless gloves, beer cozies, shot glasses, etc. There was a special check-in offer that if anyone checked into a business in The Handle District and showed it to us, they got a free pair of sunglasses. The Yelp Booth consistently had one of the longest lines during the entire duration of the event! GO YELP! :)FESTIVAL ACTIONAdd in a photo-booth, mimes, French Revolutionary dissidents walking around spreading the word to the faithful, the balloon mime entertaining the kiddes, and the Master of the Accordion, there was plenty to keep us exciting and enjoying the festival vibe even though we were out in the 90 degree heat!THE LOWDOWNA great time in the Handle District, have a fun celebration on Bastille Day, Sacramento-Style!

I attended the Bastille Day event submitted by our CM, Alex L. It was a hot sunny July afternoon which was perfect for celebrating the French Independence Day. At high noon there was a waiter's race in which the participants had to carry a waiters tray with a full bottle of Perrier sparkling water and 2 wine glasses also filled with water. There were cash prizes which made this race even more exciting. The contestants took this event very seriously, and it was fun to see how fast these "waiters"were walk/running by... while gingerly balancing their trays. Might I add that one waiter stumbled and tipped his tray which crashed onto the blacktop spewing Perrier water everywhere. The crowd erupted in a large roar as we watched this contestant become eliminated in a flash. (Or should I say crash.)The Yelp booth had a large spinner wheel set up for people to spin and win free prizes. Families, groups of adults, and dogs wearing french flag bandanas lined up and waited their turn to spin the wheel. It was so exciting to see the look on the painted children's faces when they would spin and win!! I enjoyed explaining to people (who asked) how to check in when they visit places around town. And listened to stories from many people on how they rely on Yelp reviews in making decisions on what or where to patronize. I was delighted to see my YE friends again and I enjoyed talking to Jenni, Alex, Michelangelo, and Priya.

C'était très amusant! The Handle Districts Bastille Day celebration this past Sunday was a total success ! We had so much fun watching the classically attired waiters race around the block in friendly competition . Most of the L street restaurants and a handful of other local businesses were set up along the street giving out tasty samples of their best offerings . The Sacramento French film festival people were out , French flags , French mime, and French macarons ! Très bien ! Nous sommes partis avec de bons souvenirs et ne peut pas attendre des prochaines années Bastille fête!!

For one afternoon, we all felt French and loved it. One of the best times I've had on a street in Midtown in as long as I can remember. This annual tradition has grown by leaps and bounds and does a great job of incorporating all the aspects that bring the crowd down - patriotic French culture and performers, a waiter's race, music food, and of course, booze. The 2014 celebration was the largest yet, with an estimated 1000+ braving the hot summer sun to enjoy the rich offerings of the Handle District. The Waiter's Race, where waiters from area restaurants race to carry a tray with a bottle and glasses down the street and back without dropping them, had some thrills and was memorable as always. The photo booth from Sactown Magazine, the Handle District and Yelp was also a crowd favorite. Overall, it was a fun family and animal friendly atmosphere that showed off the many businesses that make this district great. My only hope is that this gathering continues for many years to come. I hope it grows but still retains its intimate feel.

Going into Bastille Day I had no idea what to expect or really what the day was even about but at the end of the day I was really glad that I went and learned a little bit of French history in the process!The Bastille Day festival was held in the middle of one of my favorite places in town home to Ginger Elizabeth's, Old Soul, Capital Dime, Yogurtagogo, Wrap n Roll Sushi Burrito, Buckhorn and so much more! My favorite booth was of course the Yelp booth (surprisingly though because they were not serving alcohol) so I enjoyed hanging out there and (semi) helping Alex, Michelangelo and Lucy run the prize wheel.There were also many great other booths from local businesses like all the ones i mentioned above (minis Ginger Elizabeth) as well as SacMag, 58 Degrees and Holding and Zocalo.There was also a waiters race, accordion player and mime who also made balloon animals. Great fun for the whole family! It was so nice to see so many local businesses at the festival. I will definitely be back again next year!

First time I have been to this event and it was a great time. Lots of local restaurants providing tastings and a great race.

Bastille Day is a must for the francophile in me. And given that it was at my favorite intersection in midtown (18th and L), it was a no-brainer. And what a fun event! We got there around 1p.m. and the first person I saw was Michelangelo S, in line for food. We followed him over to the yelp booth, spun the yelp wheel for our prizes (fingerless mittens and a beer glove), and as we were getting ready to move on, found that we were in the best spot to watch the first waiters coming around the corner in the Waiters Race. This is an annual event on Bastille Day here in Sacramento: waiters from restaurants in the area compete to carry a tray with two water glasses and a bottle of perrier without spilling. They fast walk to the finish line, and are judged on how damp the tray is, whether they dropped the glasses, etc. The winner this year was a server from the Grange Restaurant... congratulations! I loved the awards: metal men holding a tray and bottle/glasses with a little french mustache. Right after the race, the performers from the California Stage theatre put on a mini performance of their current show, Marat/Sade, right there on the street. The performers were beautifully dressed and it was a treat. See here for their production details: http://www.calstage.org/ai1ec_event/maratsade-2/?instance_id=We wandered around, checking out all the local vendors who had their booths and samples for us to try (The Rind, Zocalo, etc.), got our pictures taken at the Kissing Booth hosted by Giggle and Riot, ending up at Capital Dime to catch the end of the World Cup. It was a great afternoon. Looking forward to celebrating Bastille Day again in Sacramento next year!

Pros: All of the free food samples. Waiter race was fun. Goddaughter enjoyed having her face painted.Cons: Very few of the food was actually French. No booths actually set up that had too much French connection. Kept walking around, receiving samples of delicious (albeit, not French) food. Saw people dressed up handing out fliers, and that was about the extent of anything French.We had more fun at the Import store, Bead store, and "Art of the toys" a block away.