TripHip - Travel Tips and Advice for Traveling on a Budget

Will you be in France over July 14? That’s Bastille Day, which is like the French Independence Day. You might be surprised at some of the cool celebrations that happen in small French towns for Bastille Day. For instance, I once stayed near St. Ambroix, a small town in southern France, for a few days in July while passing through on my way to Montpellier. For 2 days over Bastille Day, they had a Renaissance Festival. It was so cool experiencing a Ren Faire in an actual medieval French town!! For a small town, they sure knew how to throw a party. People were dressed up in costumes and there were all kinds of stalls and performers. It was great. That night in the neighboring village, (even smaller than St. Ambroix) they had a fireworks display, followed by a town party that included a soiree mousse – which is like a giant foam party where a bubble machine blows bubbles onto the dance floor. So awesome. Kind of like a rave, but on a totally chilled out small town scale with kids and families running around. It was a very authentic small-town French experience, imo. I’m sure that lots of other small towns do equally cool things, but if you’re anywhere near St. Ambroix – that’s one party to check out!