What's on Vive La France
We have a range of events on our calendar...
Sunday Club Night: a feature concert every week (apart from some holiday weekends) 7.30 pm. Floorspot performers often invited from local musicians in the first half. Cafe and bar open. See notes on each night for featured performers or events.
Thursday Open Mic Night: a warm welcome to all, 7.30 pm. Gold coin entry. Cafe open.
Special Concerts - may be scheduled on other nights
Our venue for club events is the Opoho Bowling Club rooms, 80 Lovelock Avenue, North Dunedin
In the current covid climate, some may wish to wear a mask when up and moving around.
Vive La France
A Come All Ye to celebrate Bastille Day!
All things French - tunes, songs about France, songs in French - and why not dress appropriately for the occasion?
Please contact the club if you'd like to perform. Email info@dunedinfolkclub.co.nz
The day marks the symbolic start of the French Revolution, which brought down its powerful monarchy. In 1789, France was under the tyranny of its king, bishops, and nobles. The corrupt monarchy spent lavishly, while the people suffered in poverty. The intimidating fortress of Bastille, with eight towers and 100-foot-high walls, had long functioned as a state prison — and epitomized the callous oppression of King Louis XVI. In the streets of Paris, a revolution simmered.
On the morning of July 14, an angry mob gathered around the Bastille's main gates while the king's troops hunkered down inside. Two citizens scaled the huge wall, cut the chains of the drawbridge, and brought it crashing down. The mob poured through and was met with gunfire. Dozens were killed, and hundreds wounded. Nevertheless, revolutionaries opened dark dungeons and brought prisoners into the light of day, then paraded victoriously through Paris. The Revolution had begun.
Virtually no trace of the original Bastille fortress remains today but the spirit of the Revolution lives on in the square where it all began: the Place de la Bastille. Today, the kickoff of the Revolution is celebrated every year on what we now call "Bastille Day" — which the French usually just call "le quatorze Juillet."
