Bastille Day Celebration Kicks off French Heritage Week With a Bang

On Wednesday, July 10, many will gather at the Lindbergh Bay Hotel and Villas at 6 p.m. for an evening of community jubilation, dancing, and food. The Bastille Day Celebration, a highly anticipated annual event has become a cornerstone in the French Heritage Week festivities.

French Heritage Week, identified as the week inclusive of July 14, known as Bastille Day, seeks to honor the contributions and advancements of the French community living in the Virgin Islands over the course of several hundred years. Bastille Day specifically celebrates the storming of the Bastille in France, which triggered the French Revolution and the subsequent rebalancing of political power in the country.

In the Virgin Islands, the French community has been instrumental in shaping Virgin Islands culture, politics, education, law enforcement, healthcare and other major facets of society. The French community has also been an invaluable resource to the fishing and farming industries of the territory. These contributions have led to several buildings and roads being named after prominent people of French descent within the community, including Lorraine Berry, Joseph Aubain, Gustave Quetel, and Emile Berry.