The Guillotine Brings Crowds to Soulard

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Let them eat cake in Soulard this weekend where the legacies of Queen Marie Antoinette & King Louis XVI will be alive and well…. at least until they meet the guillotine on Friday night.

Among the highlights of this year’s 23rd annual Bastille Days will be a parade, a cake-eating contest and a mock beheading of the King and Queen.

St. Louis was founded for French King Louis XIV by two French explorers, Pierre Laclède de Liguest and Auguste Chouteau in 1763. By 1840, the growing city of St. Louis reached south into the "Frenchtown" area, a mix of common fields and French-owned farms. This area quickly urbanized and became known as Soulard. Bastille Days provides a variety of activities and events that honor the July 14 French national Holiday, Bastille Day, and embrace the strong French heritage that is part of St. Louis, and especially the Soulard area’s, history.

Friday night’s festivities begin at 6:00 p.m. with a farewell gathering at the corner of Russell and Menard for Queen Marie Antoinette & King Louis. Visitors can watch the King and Queen march off to their dreaded fate as part of a parade that includes marching crewes and royalty, led by the “Joia” percussion group. At 6:45 p.m. a mock beheading of the King & Queen will happen in Soulard Market Park located at 8th and Lafayette.

On Saturday an entire day of events is planned. At 8:00 a.m., a flea market in Soulard Market Park will have 50 booths featuring a variety of art, handmade jewelry, clothing and other items. The streets of Soulard will be full of entertainment from 12:00 to 8:00 p.m. Stop by the art show, live music stage and Cake Eating Contest after donating canned food to the Can Can Canned Food Drive. Also, street mimes, jugglers and other performers will be roaming the streets entertaining crowds with a bit of French flair.

Throughout the entire weekend, local participating establishments will offer a tasting of one of their specialty dishes as part of A Taste of Soulard. A Taste Booklet can be purchased for $20 at participating establishments and includes ten taste coupons to be used at the participating restaurants.

All proceeds from the three-day event benefit The Soulard Business Association's safety program.