Milwaukee will put the 'oui' in Wisconsin this weekend as city's annual Bastille Days festival returns

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Bastille Days is back in Milwaukee for the 46th annual French Festival.

Milwaukee boasts the largest such festival in North America. Bastille Days shows off the local French cuisine and brings in entertainment from around the world.

You can watch can-can dancers, listen to live French music while eating beignets and croque monsieur sandwiches. 

A record number of people signed up this year to "Storm the Bastille."

The runners took off at 9 p.m. Thursday, simulating the start of the French Revolution. It's a fun 5K, on day one of Bastille Days. Organizers say the festival itself has been a bit busier than in years past.

"We have decided to focus on what we do well. We are only making beignets," said Anne Leplae, executive director, Alliance Francais of Milwaukee.

From French pastries to French wine, festival goers took it all in.

"Please eat beignets, beignets are delicious," said Leplae.

They showed up in berets, and showed off how well they speak the language.

"Tell me how to correctly pronounce the name of this pastry."

"Macaron," said Lonain Leo.

Lonain Leo's from France. To make Milwaukee's fest even more authentic, he says add more baguettes.

"So, more bread?" we asked. " Yes, that's something that's very missing," said Leo.

Something else is missing: the usual abundance of parking meters. With the RNC just days away, a number of meters are restricted and RNC street closures are already in effect.

"Lucky for us, all the security zone and any of our headaches are really more than five blocks west of us," said Eddie Sturkey, executive director, East Town Association.

Drivers we talked to seemed to take those closures in stride.

"The road closures didn't do anything. It was really awesome to get here," said Taylor Nordhausen of Wauwatosa.

With limited meters, three parking garages near Cathedral Square are offering discounts for Bastille Days.

"I just like scanned a QR code and all it did was take me to a website and I created an account, paid super easy and then I got a discount too with the Bastille Days," said Nordhausen.

Bastille Days organizers are expecting even more visitors to pick up as the days draw closer to the RNC.

"The benefit is we have tens of thousands of extra people here this weekend, and what better excuse to showcase the best of what our city has to offer," said Sturkey.

And if the weather continues to be as lovely as this, Bastille Days is sure to be a hit among RNC guests.

"Like I said, the breeze off of the lake just makes it wonderful, and no rain for a change, yeah," said Beth and Timothy Counce of Milwaukee.

If you find yourself parking a distance away, The Hop is a good option to get you to Cathedral Square. Public transportation can get you right there. Bastille Days runs through Sunday.