Homemade, hand-cranked French-vanilla ice cream

What’s the scoop? Why, homemade, hand-cranked, French-vanilla ice cream of course! Get a scoop and create a French-themed craft in celebration of Bastille Day, the national day of France.

This is part of Castine’s town-wide 6th Annual Bastille Day Celebration. After a two-year pandemic hiatus, celebrate the 233rd anniversary of the storming of the Bastille prison in Paris, the start of the French Revolution. All Castine businesses will greet you displaying the French colors and you have several options for lunch on the Town Dock.

In the morning, beginning at 10:00 am, Dyce Head Lighthouse will be open for tours of our iconic tower by the sea. The Castine Historical Society will narrate tours of our village, beginning on the Town Common at 1:00 pm and end an hour later at Fort Pentagoet. From there, walk across to the Wilson Museum campus, bring your children to Make and Take historical crafts, and then enjoy hand cranked ice cream/toppings.

For the signature event, the Picnic en Blanc, 400 white-clad festival goers will be seated at long white tables at 5:30 pm, under the elms on Court Street. Bring your own French picnic while watching a stilt walker and balancing acts perform. Our Maine 200 (+2) birthday cake will be served to bring a sweet culmination to a delightful dinner.

And then finish your evening dancing to the Motown sounds of Pat Colwell and Soul Sensations - enjoy being part of this 1960s and 1970s rhythm and blues concert on the Town Common. For more information on the day's events or to make your reservation for the Picnic en Blanc, call Town Hall at 326-4502 or go to visitcastine.com.

Bastille Day 2022 Full Schedule