It’s that time of the year again! A weeklong celebration on St. Thomas of French heritage is around the corner, culminating with a Bastille Day party on July 14. If you’ve ever wondered about the celebrations and how long they have existed, keep in mind that they aren’t a new fete for the island. The French residents on St. Thomas, along with the wider St. Thomas community, have been celebrating Bastille Day and French heritage since the last century.
The Caribbean Genealogy Library, located on St. Thomas, put together a brief timeline using newspaper articles from the 1930s to 1990s. Here is what the old newspapers revealed about Bastille Day on St. Thomas!
A July 1935 article announced that Bastille Day was the cause of merriment in the French village of Carenage (today known as Frenchtown). The article continued that the French flag was displayed from numerous homes, and an informal reception was held by the French Consul.
A newspaper article from July 1946 stated that Bastille Day was celebrated in the French village with boat and canoe races, a softball game and a concert by the Community Band. A July 1951 article included similar activities for the Bastille Day celebrations, with the added note that the annual Bastille Day dance at Normandie Bar was moved to a new location. In some years, the news articles reported lots of music, a small parade with bands and tramping, plus boat racing in the harbor.
Newspaper reports from the 1970s mentioned that the celebrations were changing. A 1977 news article, for example, discussed a quieter, shorter Bastille Day celebration. The article included interviews with a few Frenchtown residents who suggested that the changes were due to the Americanization of the younger generation in the French community, while others interviewed noted that Bastille Day celebrations were now happening in Mafolie.
The Mafolie comment was likely directed at Sibs Mountain Bar. Newspaper articles from the 1970s reported on live music and dancing at Sibs in celebration of Bastille Day.
In recent decades, the Northside Sportfishing Club’s Annual Bastille Day Kingfish Tournament, which started in 1987, offered fishing, music, and dancing to celebrate Bastille Day.
In a July 1998 editorial, it is noted that French Heritage Week had been celebrated for the prior 10 years, suggesting an expansion from just Bastille Day on July 14 to including the whole week.
Newspaper articles from the 1990s to present include annual proclamations for French Heritage Week and Bastille Day by the governor of the territory. These proclamations offer an official recognition of the historical and cultural connection of Bastille Day to the French community, and of the contributions of the French community to the Virgin Islands.
Today, French Heritage Week continues to take place in July, just before Bastille Day. It is celebrated on St. Thomas with bands, dancing, receptions and fishing.
That’s almost 90 years of celebrating Bastille Day and the French community in St. Thomas in some way! Thank you to the organizers, past and present, and the community for supporting the events. Be sure to check out this year’s schedule of French Heritage Week events and join in the celebration.
Sources: The Virgin Islands Daily News (1930 – 1980 Collection, on Google News); the V.I. Source; and the Danish Royal Library (Pre-1917 Collection of Danish West Indies Newspapers)
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