The Cape Winelands will be awash in the red, white and blue of the tricolore later this month, as Franschhoek celebrates Bastille Day with a Bastille 2024 festival weekend filled with food, wine and fun.
But first, a little history.
This corner of the Cape Winelands has a history dating back to 1688, when 300 French Huguenots arrived in the Cape by ship, fleeing persecution by the French King Louis XIV who had banned Protestantism in France.
At the time the Dutch colonial authorities wanted to develop farming in the region and gave the new settlers land in a fertile valley surrounded by mountains. Once known for the elephants that roamed wild here, it soon became known as the ‘French Corner’, or Franschhoek in Dutch.
The name stuck, and more than three centuries later the bustling town of Franschhoek revels in a Francophone heritage that will be on full display during the Bastille 2024 weekend, celebrated from July 13-14, 2024.
It’s set to be a weekend filled with entertaining events, centred on the festival marquee pitched on the Franschhoek High School rugby field. Here look forward to wine tastings from a selection of valley cellars, alongside a mouth-watering collection of food stalls.
There will also be live entertainment by the likes of Niël Rademan and The Papier Family, acclaimed local troubadours, while a highlight of the Saturday will be the Barrel Rolling Contest that makes a return at this year's festival. And if you’re feeling distinctly Parisienne, don your finest tricolore for a chance at winning the Best Dressed competition, where prizes include helicopter flips and weekend safari escapes.
Tickets for the festival grounds and marquee are available via Webtickets, or simply pull into town to soak up the festivities happening across the village.
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