2007 French Festival: Fabulous Fêtes July 13, 2007

Enjoy entertainment a la française – dance, music, drama, art activities, games, and garden strolls – at this fabulous fête.

Theatrical vignettes in the Mansion will recreate the rituals and culture of French nobility. Opera Lafayette and the New York Baroque Dance Company will present the music and dance of the eighteenth-century French court.

Family drop-in activities will include creating Sèvres-inspired dinner plates, country dance lessons, children’s games from the 1700s, and tips on courtly manners.

Special talks throughout the weekend will feature senior curator Liana Paredes explaining the joyous festival depicted in the tapestries in Hillwood’s French Drawing Room and gardener John Sonnier discussing Hillwood’s French Parterre garden and the historic French gardens that inspired it.

An audio guide, Kings, Queens & Soup Tureens: Decorative Arts in 18th Century French Court Society, explores the court’s daily customs and special festivities through the French luxury arts in Hillwood’s collection.

Saturday, July 14, 2007, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Sunday, July 15, 2007, 1 – 5 p.m.

$25 general admission; $20 for Hillwood Friends and Alliance Française members; $15 for full-time students (over 18); $5 for ages 6 to 18; Free for children under 6. Call 202-686-5807 for more information.

Official Website: http://www.HillwoodMuseum.org