Ricard sponsors Bastille Day with a Pétanque Garden Party

London is France’s sixth biggest city in terms of population – it is no surprise then that Bastille Day (aka “le 14 juillet”) is such a big event in the British capital.

We decided to go and check out Ricard’s Bastille Day celebrations at the Chelsea Physic Garden. Ricard promised sun and holiday atmosphere and we were secretly hoping that a micro climate would operate over the garden to stay in line with the Marseille spirit of the brand and its anise-flavoured liqueur.

As we came in, we were welcome by the Belleville Rendez-Vous Triplets who invited us to a playful sing-along. We then grabbed our Ricard summer hats (which turned out to be very useful under the torrential rain) to explore the venue and discover what the day had to offer.

A pétanque tournament was the star of the day, together with a fantastic BBQ (ah, les merguez!), crèpes and a bar loaded with imaginative Ricard cocktails and even a Ricard-flavoured ice cream.

We decided to leave the tournament to the professionals and spent the afternoon playing crocket and even tried our luck at the giant Jenga.

A few famous faces were spotted under the marquee, with PPQ design duo Amy Molineaux and Percy Parker, Noisettes’ singer Shinghai Shoniwa, girl about town Tallulah Adeyemi and Rocknrolla actor David Leon. 

We thoroughly enjoyed our afternoon and the chocolate crèpes: laid back but chic, friendly, fun, and very French.

The Chelsea Physic Garden is a truly gorgeous location we were delighted to discover, and we can’t wait to do it all over again next year.

Alex White
Photos: Adam Imiolo