Twist up that ‘stache, Poirot, it’s Bastille Day time in Oak Cliff.
Bastille on Bishop returns this week to commemorate Oak Cliff’s roots as the utopian socialist community La Réunion.
La Réunion colonists: Photo from “Images of America: Oak Cliff”
La Réunion’s French, Belgian and Swiss colonists settled in this area in 1854.
Bishop Arts started celebrating the national day of France over a decade ago, thanks to Go Oak Cliff, the all-volunteer nonprofit that also puts on other events, such as Oak Cliff Mardi Gras.
This year’s festival, from 5-10 p.m. Thursday, July 14, offers live music, wine, food and shopping on Bishop Avenue.
Bastille on Bishop is free to attend, but food and drinks are paid for with tokens. A wristband with a branded wine glass and two tokens costs $35. A VIP pass, with access to a cocktail competition, costs $60.
“Site of the French Colony La Reunion, settled in 1854,” reads a historic marker on Stevens Park Golf Course, placed by the Jane Douglas Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, April 1924.
