Cantigny’s Voyage en France explores French culture
See the Eiffel Tower, watch can-can dancers perform and maybe brush up on your French during Cantigny’s Voyage en France.
The 19th annual event featuring all things French will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Cantigny Park, 1S151 Winfield Road in Wheaton. Tickets are $15 in advance or $20 at the gate; children 15 or younger are admitted free. For tickets, go to cantigny.org/event/voyage-en-france-2026/.
Summer of soccer
Kids ages 2 to 18 inspired by the games at this summer’s FIFA World Cup can sign up for the free Soccer Skills and Drills with the Chicago Fire Youth Soccer Club coaches. All experience levels can practice soccer skills, movement, and drills with the club’s coaches on Cantigny’s Parade Field. There will be three, 30-minute sessions: 11 a.m., 1 and 2 p.m. Sign up to secure a spot; openings may be available that day.
Music & dance
Stroll the gardens of Cantigny while enjoying live music, ballet and can-can dancers.
ZAZZ, the modern jazz ensemble, will perform in the beer garden from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., followed by The Irving Sisters and their three-part harmonies, re-creating the sounds of the sister trios of the big band and jazz era.
The Salt Creek Ballet will be joined by local guest artists for performances at 10:15 a.m. and noon at the tent on the First Division Museum grounds. I Cancan Dance will be taking the stage at 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
Culture and history
Travel along the McCormick Allée to check out all of the local makers, artisans, and vendors at this open-air market with a French flair.
Language Labs offer immersive, family-friendly French cultural programming that include bilingual storytime, live musical performances, and more.
Stop by the Alliance Française DuPage booth set up in the visitor center to try some French trivia and learn basic French words World War I soldiers would have had to learn. Then watch French military reenactors bring history to life.
The Chicago Pétanque Club, which plays throughout the year at two locations in Wheaton, invites festival attendees to try their hand at the classic French sport, or just watch the club players in action. The easy-to-learn game is fun for all ages.
Artists from the DuPage Art League will set up around the park and gardens for plein air painting. There also will be Little Louvre art-making stations, where kids can re-create masterpieces by renowned artists featured at the famous museum in Paris.
Festival-goers can snap selfies at the many photo spots set up around the Cantigny estate gardens, including the iconic Eiffel Tower replica.
Take a self-guided tour of McCormick House, which is included in the Voyage en France ticket price.
The curated wine tasting, “A Toast to France!,” is already sold out. For food and refreshments, enjoy chef-crafted beignets served with Nutella dipping sauce at Le Jardin backyard, or check out the Hippie Gourmet and Kissed by Fire food trucks, as well as the beer garden or drinks at the Freedom Hall’s Hidden Art Deco Bar inside McCormick House.
Cantigny Park was once part of the private estate of Robert R. McCormick, owner of the Chicago Tribune and a World War I veteran of the First Division, today’s U.S. Army 1st Infantry Division. In May 1918, the division won America’s first significant victory in World War I at the Battle of Cantigny, a small village 73 miles north of Paris.