Storm the Bastille 5K Milwaukee, WI   Jul 9, 2026

Join thousands of your fellow community members for the annual Storm the Bastille 5K Run/Walk!

Runners and walkers from across Milwaukee gather to commemorate the storming of the Bastille, the 18th-century French prison that sparked the French Revolution. This year marks four decades of Milwaukee’s only organized nighttime downtown run — and we’re celebrating in a big way.

Participants will race through the streets of East Town and the Historic Third Ward on a timed 5K route before joining the party that kicks off Bastille Days, Milwaukee’s popular French festival and one of the nation’s largest French-themed celebrations. This free, four-day bash attracts over 250,000 visitors to downtown Milwaukee’s Cathedral Square Park annually who enjoy a variety of live music, an international marketplace, French and Cajun cuisine, and roaming busker entertainment.