Bastille Weekend

Celebrate Bastille Day with these French-inspired weekend events

This weekend, the French will celebrate their version of July 4, Bastille Day. A collection of venues around Austin are compiling events and celebrations to honor the day the French stormed the historic Bastille prison, which sparked the beginning of the French Revolution.

If you're looking for another independence celebration, here are five Bastille Day events worth checking out.

July 12: Con Air at Alamo Drafthouse Ritz
In the mood for a Bastille-inspired flick? Alamo Drafthouse will be featuring their signature Master Pancake series with Con Air. The famously-panned film tells the story of a prisoner (Nicholas Cage) who is released on Bastille Day and is on a hijacked plane with a gang of convicts on his way back home to freedom. Sound cheesy? Well, it is.

July 13: Bastille Day Festival
The French Legation Museum will host a Bastille celebration on behalf of the Alliance Française D'Austin with live music, dancing, contests, jugglers, face painting and other exotic antics. Expect to find your share of French-inspired fare, including pate, baguettes, macarons, eclairs, wine, beer and a host of other bites, beverages and pastries.

July 14: Absinthe at Peche
In honor of Bastille Day, Peche is featuring $5 absinthe drinks from 5 p.m. until close. Any absinthe on Peche's menu (there are quite a few) will be available for $5, and served with a classic sugar cube and vintage water dripper.

July 14: Music at Central Market North Lamar
Live music has become something of a beloved pastime on the weekends at Central Market North Lamar. On Sunday, the Austin-favorite grocery store will host a Bastille-inspired music get-together with Rumbullion, who will play 1930s French cafe music.

July 14: French fare at Henri's Cheese & Wine Shop
If you're on the hunt for anything and everything edible French, swing by Henri's. The South Lamar cheese and charcuterie shop will be featuring 20 percent off all French wines with an array of accompanying French goods.

Obviously these are just a handful of the events taking place this weekend. If you know of any other celebrations going on, let us know in the comment section.

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Taste of 2025

Austin's Wine & Food Foundation announces 3 big events for 2025

Photo by Erica Wilkins Photography

Theses Wine & Food Foundation events raise funds for local initiatives.

Austin's food scene is booming, but smaller businesses could always use support. The Wine & Food Foundation is one of Austin's leading industry protectors, and it's just announced three events to help support its mission over the next year.

The three events — Big Reds and Bubbles, Toast of Texas, and the Rare & Fine Wine Auction Gala — are spread out between March and November of 2025, and all offer something a bit different.

They'll all benefit the Wine & Food Foundation and, by extension, the local organizations it supports. Those include Keep Austin Fed, which diverts food surpluses from grocery stores, catered events, and other sites of professional food service; and Sustainable Food Center, which helps Texans access healthy food through SNAP and WIC incentives, hosts farmers markets, connects farmers with resources, and more. The Wine & Food Foundation also offers scholarships for hospitality professionals.

Big Reds and Bubbles, held Friday, March 28, will bring together more than 100 red and sparkling wines for a tasting event. In addition to comparing wines back-to-back, guests will get to try them with bites from popular Austin restaurants to discover interesting new pairings. They'll also get to dress to impress and see the new LZR space — formerly La Zona Rosa, an old Austin music venue that had its last official performance in 2013.

Next up is Toast of Texas on June 8. This is another tasting event that focuses instead on 20 local wineries. The food menu at this event is also more specific, featuring local barbecue and paella, among other local tastes. It'll be located at Assembly Hall, an event space on East 7th Street adjacent to the East Austin Hotel.

Finally, there's the premier event: the Rare & Fine Wine Auction Gala on November 8. This is a big fundraising opportunity not just because of potentially high auction tickets, but the chance to experience something truly out of the ordinary for the wine industry. Guests will also enjoy "an elegant dinner" according to the press release and wines by a featured maker. It'll all happen at the JW Marriott Austin.

The release counts more than 50 other events slated for the year, so there are plenty more opportunities between the big three. Some of these include wine tasting courses, which will be available again soon.

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