Visit France, Asia, Africa (remotely) Get your French accent on
All the flavors of France — food, music, dance, food, culture, wine, beer, food — are back in place at Bastille Days, the French street festival camped out in and around Cathedral Square Park, 520 E. Wells St. In addition to all the food (mmm, beignets) and music, there’ll be a Mardi Gras Parade Friday night, ticketed wine tastings Friday and Saturday, kids’ activities (10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday), and the celebrated waiter/waitress races Sunday. Bastille Days’ hours are 11 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday. Per usual, admission is free. Info: easttown.com/events/bastille-days
Travel to Asia (via State Fair Park)
Asia is home to an expansive array of sights, sounds, foodways and cultural traditions; Asia Fest
of Milwaukee brings a sampler of many of them Friday through Sunday to the north parking lot of Wisconsin State Fair Park, 640 S. 84th St., West Allis. Flavors from India, the Middle East, Japan, China, Thailand and more are on the menu, along with performances by music, dance and arts groups. Kids’ activities abound, and, in a warm-up to State Fair, there are carnival rides, too — free with admission to the festival. Asia Fest is open from 3 to 10 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday. Admission is: for one day, $20 and $12 for kids age 3 to 11, free for children 2 and younger; for three days, $45, $25 for kids. Info: asiafestmke.com
Travel to Africa (via Brown Deer Park)
On Saturday, head to Brown Deer Park, 7835 N. Green Bay Road, for African Cultural Festival,a community celebration of the diverse flavors, sights, sounds and culture from across the African continent. Soccer games, kids’ activities and a fashion show are also on the menu. The festival runs from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Admission is free; donation of a nonperishable food item for the Hunger Task Force is also encouraged. Info: 2019 African Cultural Festival in Milwaukee Facebook page
Make book on it
The 11th annual Great Midwest Book Fest comes to Nicolet High School, 6701 N. Jean Nicolet Road, Glendale, from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday. The book fair, presented by UrbanReviewsOnline.com, will include 15 authors selling their own books; the first 100 attendees who purchase a book from one of those authors gets a swag bag including a free book. Admission is $5. Info: greatmidwestbookfest.com
Get art-full in the Bay
The first Whitefish Bay Art Fest, a juried art festival, takes over East Silver Spring Drive from Santa Monica Boulevard to Lake Drive Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Artists will be on hand showing, and selling, paintings, photographs, wall art, handcrafted jewelry, sculpture, wearable art and mixed-media work. Live music, artist demonstrations, hands-on art-making and family-friendly activities also are part of the weekend’s mix. Admission is free. Info: merchantsofwhitefishbay.com
Look into the cabinet
Magician David Parr brings his show home to Milwaukee for a weekend full of performances at Brumder Mansion, 3046 W. Wisconsin Ave. In the show, Parr takes audiences on a tour of his collection of magical artifacts, with stories and tricks accompanying each of them. The interactive show, which completed a yearlong run in Chicago earlier this year, takes the stage at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are $20.
Info: David Parr’s Cabinet of Curiosities in Milwaukee Facebook event page Contact Chris Foran at chris.foran@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @cforan12.
“Cabinet of Curiosities”