Larchmont Gears Up for Bastille Day Block Party

Larchmont will be celebrating Independence Day on July 14 this year.

Well, France's Independence Day—July 14 will be the village's second time celebrating Bastille Day with an international-themed block party.

The block party was approved last month by the Larchmont Board of Trustees. The village will close off Larchmont Avenue, between Gilder Street and Addison Street, from 5 to 10 p.m. to accommodate the event.

"It's a way to support the community and show international spirit," said Carolynn Dilworth, who is spearheading the event. "Larchmont has a French-American school and a large international community."

Dilworth—who owns Auray Gourmet—is organizing the event for the second consecutive year.

"Last year was a huge success," she said. "We were expecting 100 people, and 500 showed up."

As a result, this year's block party has expanded significantly. Last year, the event featured only two village merchants; this year, it will have 17.

"It's become a merchant-driven event," Dilworth said. "The village is behind us 100 percent."

The block party will primarily feature French products and food, with favorites from last year—Nutella and sugar crepes—carrying over. The event will also have local musicians and games for children.

"We'll have petanque set up," Dilworth said. "It's like a French version of bocce." 

New Rochelle will also be pitching in for the second year. At last summer's block party, the mayor of La Rochelle—New Rochelle's French sister city—made an appearance.       

Below is the musical line up for the evening:

5-5:30 p.m. Michael Nappi
(Sponsored by Auray)

5:40-6:15 p.m. Armelle
(Sponsored by LinguaKids)

6:25-6:50 p.m. Luke Havranek
(Sponsored by Groove)

7:00-9:30 p.m. Renard Boissiere
2 one-hour sets w/15 min break