France celebrates its national holiday every year with fireworks, concerts and an extravagant military parade down the Champs-Élysées in the presence of the president, a group of politicians and often a foreign head of state as the guest of honour. The date of July 14 commemorates two important events in the history of France. France 24 takes a look at the origins of the holiday and what to expect on that day.
What is significant about July 14?
“Bastille Day” is known in France simply as “the Fourteenth of July”, referring to the date on which it is celebrated. July 14 became an official national holiday in 1880 to commemorate key turning points in French history.
The French Revolution officially began on May 5, 1789, when King Louis XVI called a meeting of the Estates General to raise more money after having collected what he could in taxes. But the meeting quickly turned into a debate about the sharing of political influence and the poor living conditions suffered by the people of France, while the king led an opulent lifestyle in the Chateau de Versailles outside Paris.
On July 14 of that year, a Parisian mob—starved by a poor harvest and angry with the king and government for their suffering—stormed the Bastille prison, which had become a symbol of absolute power wielded by the monarch by confining many of his opponents there. The mob freed a few prisoners and seized large quantities of weapons, in what was a first victory for the people over the “Ancien Régime” (l’Ancien Régime), the French monarchy dating back to around the 16th century.
The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, enacted that same summer, called for the establishment of certain “natural and inalienable” rights, including liberty, resistance to oppression, and equality before the law. After ratifying the text in October and coming under increasing pressure from the people, King Louis XVI and his wife Marie Antoinette left Versailles for Paris.
These were defining moments in the French Revolution (1789-1799), which re-created France as a people’s republic founded on the principles of individual liberty and responsible citizenship codified by the famous motto “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity,” which remains the motto of France today.
The Feast of the Federation (la Fête de la Fédération) the following year – July 14, 1790 – gathered 300,000 people in a purpose-built amphitheater on the outskirts of Paris to celebrate the anniversary of the takeover. the Bastille and the achievements of the French Revolution, marking the first time France’s national holiday was celebrated.
Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were guillotined in 1793, decisively ending the monarchy.
What happens in France on July 14?
France’s national holiday is celebrated today with a series of events throughout the day. Most of the major televised celebrations take place in Paris, but cities and towns across the country also host a variety of local celebrations.
10 am local time: The military parade
A key part of the celebrations is France’s military parade, which became part of the official celebrations by decree when July 14 was declared a national holiday in 1880.
The event shows thousands of military and police officers, hundreds of horses and almost 500 vehicles parading down the Champs-Élysées avenue in Paris, from the Arc de Triomphe to the Place de la Concorde. In addition, dozens of planes carry out a military overflight of the capital while leaving a trail of the colors of the French flag: blue, white and red.
The current President of the French Republic attends the fair parade with high-ranking politicians and often a foreign head of state as the guest of honor. Members of the public can watch the parade live on television or attend in person by occupying one of the spectator stands along the avenue.
In addition to showcasing France’s military might, the event is an occasion to honor certain people and causes, and to strengthen diplomatic ties. Troops from other nations are often invited to join the parade as a gesture of friendship and alliance, or to commemorate historic occasions.
To commemorate the centenary of the United States’ entry into World War I, US troops participated in 2017. That same year, President Emmanuel Macron invited former US President Donald Trump as a guest of honor. Trump was reportedly so impressed by the parade that he ordered the Pentagon to organize a similar event in the United States.
In 2020, the parade was drastically reduced due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The following year, French healthcare workers were invited to participate to honor their hard work during the crisis.
In 2022, troops from nine Eastern European countries opened the parade in solidarity with Ukraine, where Russia had launched a full-scale invasion the previous February.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the 2023 parade as Macron’s guest of honor. A delegation from the Indian armed forces will also join the parade.
![Members of the French Republican Guard (Garde Republicaine) take part in the annual Bastille Day military parade down the Champs-Elysees avenue in Paris on July 14, 2019.](https://s.france24.com/media/display/a69a2718-21cd-11ee-98b9-005056bfb2b6/000_1IQ6IQ.jpg)
Televised speech of the President of the Republic
President Valéry Giscard d’Estaing introduced the custom of having the French head of state deliver a televised address on July 14 in the 1970s. The event became a political tradition, similar to the annual televised presidential address given from the Élysée Palace on December 31.
The tradition died out to some extent under the presidency of Nicolas Sarkozy, who did not deliver the traditional Bastille Day speech during his five years in office.
Since Macron became president in 2017, he has only given two televised interviews on the July 14 holiday, in 2020 and 2022. There are no plans for an interview in 2023.
9 pm local time: concert on the Champs de Mars
A relatively recent tradition is the Paris Concert of classical music, held in the park below the Eiffel Tower, known as the Champs de Mars.
The two-hour concert will be held for the eleventh consecutive year in 2023, performed, as usual, by the Orchester National de France, with the choir and the Radio France choir school.
This year it will also feature special performances by opera singers Ermonela Jaho, Stéphanie d’Oustrac, Jonas Kaufmann and Ludovic Tézier, and violinist Vilde Frang.
The concert is televised and viewers can also watch it for free in person from the Champ de Mars park in front of the tower.
Traditionally, the concert ends with a moving French national version, La Marseillaise, originally a call to arms for soldiers fighting in the French Revolution, just before the Eiffel Tower’s famous fireworks display begins.
![Fireworks display over the Eiffel Tower on the occasion of the annual Bastille Day celebrations in Paris, on July 14, 2020. France is holding a scaled-down version of its traditional Bastille Day parade this year due to security measures against the COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) pandemic, as the country's national day celebrations include a tribute to healthcare workers and others fighting the outbreak.](https://s.france24.com/media/display/7b2de9ac-1b42-11ee-88b6-005056a90284/000_1V70H8.jpg)
11 p.m. local time: Fireworks
Perhaps the most famous image of the July 14 celebrations in France is that of fireworks lighting up the night sky around the Eiffel Tower.
The 30-minute exhibition begins just after the Paris Concert, with fireworks accompanied by contemporary music. In the latter, illuminated drones have also been included. The theme of the exhibition for 2023 is “Freedom”.
The event is televised and viewers can watch it for free from the Champs de Mars, if space is available, as the crowds are often huge.
For those lucky enough to live in a tall building or near a hill, the spectacle is also visible from various points around the capital.
The firemen’s dance
The Firemen’s Ball is not an official part of the July 14 celebrations, but it is an institution.
On the nights of July 13 and 14, fire stations across France open their doors and hold public parties, often with music and a bar in the station itself or in the station courtyard.
The tradition is said to have started in the Montmartre district of Paris in 1937, when firefighters returning from taking part in the military parade were followed by joyous citizens. Amid the festive atmosphere, firefighters opened the doors of the station and allowed the city residents to enter.
Banned during World War II, the holidays were reintroduced after the liberation of France and have remained a regular part of the national holiday ever since.
*Text adapted from the original text in English
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