Monday, July 14 is the 218th anniversary of the Fête de la Fédération. On that day in 1790, scores of Parisians gathered on the Champ de Mars to celebrate the end of the French Revolution.

Charles Maurice de Talleyrand, Marquis de Lafayette and Louis XVI performed crowd-pleasing sets; the Three Estates had a meet-cute; and nearly everyone went bat-merde, drinking wine and running naked in the streets. It took four days for the last straggler to sober up and go home.

The modern-day equivalent of that holiday, called Fête Nationale in France and Bastille Day everywhere else, is a decidedly more sober and less naked affair. (Aw, double merde.) But that's not to say you can't have a lot of fun celebrating Bastille Day here in Seattle. We've got the wine, after all. The rest should come easy.

On Saturday, July 12 and Sunday, July 13, Seattle Center hosts a family-friendly celebration of that long-ago storming of the Bastille. Two stages will feature live music, including sets by gypsy swing quintet Pearl Django and accordionist Bonnie Birch. The Bal de Pompiers will sate the desires of older revolutionaries, while little Francophiles can enjoy arts activities. And yes, mon frere, there will be great wine and food.

Not to be outdone, Campagne and its sister Cafe Campagne offer a twofold celebration on Monday, July 14. Campagne will offer a five-course "Dinner for the Royalists" to feed the bourgeoisie -- both regular and petite -- while the Cafe hosts a wild "Party for the Revolutionaries" (3-10 p.m.) that will spill into Post Alley.

The second event is plainly the one to hit. They're promising cancan dancers, gypsy swing by the Djangomatics, burlesque by Inga Ingénue and food and wine priced for the people at $5 per item.

While Pike Place Market ain't the Champ de Mars, it's going to be one hell of a party. And it could be fun to peer in the windows at the prix fixe set, draw your finger across your neck, and mouth "You're next." Well, it'll be fun for me, anyway.

I know you've already got an outfit in mind for Bastille Day, but just in case you're on the fence, here's a tip: Sans-culottes is the way to go. Even Adam Ant doesn't bother with knee breeches anymore, and he's a dandy highwayman.

Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company