Smiling families dine at sidewalk cafés with checkered tablecloths and umbrellas. Starry-eyed couples toast each other with wine. Artists wearing bérets paint at their easels. The air is filled with music, laughter, and the tempting aromas of French cuisine. Surely this must be France?

Actually, it's the Annual French Festival in Santa Barbara, Saturday and Sunday, July 17 & 18 (Bastille Day Weekend), from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. in Santa Barbara's Oak Park. Admission is free. Over 20,000 people are expected to attend.

While Parisians celebrate the French Revolution 8,000 miles away, Californians will revel in the sights, sounds, foods and joie de vivre of France at the largest French celebration in the Western United States.

This year's Fête Française will feature dozens of chefs preparing fine French food...everything from crêpes to Cajun, from café au lait to decadent desserts and pastries. Enjoy French beer, wine, champagne and soft drinks.

There will be continuous free entertainment on three stages, including cancan, Moroccan belly dancers, grand opera, Cajun and classical groups, folk dancing, Tahitian dancing, jazz, and cabaret music in the tradition of Edith Piaf and Maurice Chevalier. Wandering mimes, jugglers, and accordion players will perform throughout the crowd. C'est magnifique!

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