France Celebrates Bastille Day With Parade
France is celebrating its Bastille Day national holiday on Monday with the traditional July 14 military parade in Paris and fireworks displays across the country. The day also features festive gatherings, firefighters’ balls, and village fairs throughout France.
Bastille Day marks the anniversary of Parisians storming the Bastille prison on July 14, 1789, an event that ignited the French Revolution and ultimately ended the monarchy.
Over the next two centuries, France witnessed the rise and fall of Napoleon’s empire, numerous uprisings, and two world wars before establishing its current Fifth Republic in 1958.
The grand parade under the Arc de Triomphe kicks off with President Emmanuel Macron reviewing the troops and relighting the eternal flame. Each marching contingent wears uniforms rich in tradition.
The French Foreign Legion, for example, stands out with its bearded soldiers, leather aprons, and axes, a nod to their historic role clearing paths for advancing armies.
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The spectacle includes dramatic flyovers by fighter jets releasing red, white, and blue smoke. As night falls, Parisians enjoy a drone light show and an increasingly elaborate fireworks display at the Eiffel Tower.
This annual event impressed former U.S. President Donald Trump so much during his 2017 visit that he decided to organize a similar parade in the United States.
Every year, France invites a guest nation for Bastille Day. This year, Indonesia takes the spotlight, with President Prabowo Subianto attending as leader of the world’s largest Muslim-majority country and a significant Asian economic and military power.
Indonesian troops, including 200 drummers, are marching in the parade. Indonesia is also expected to finalize new deals for Rafale jets and other French defense equipment during this visit.
Joining them are Finnish troops serving with the U.N. mission in Lebanon, as well as Belgian and Luxembourg troops from NATO’s force in Romania, reflecting the parade’s growing international dimension.
Among the notable guests is Fousseynou Samba Cisse, who recently saved two babies from a burning apartment and received a last-minute invitation personally from Macron.
On the eve of Bastille Day, Macron announced €6.5 billion (about $7.6 billion) in additional military spending over the next two years to address mounting threats such as Russian aggression, terrorism, and cyberattacks.
“Since 1945, our freedom has never been so threatened, and never so seriously,” Macron said.
“We are experiencing a return to the fact of a nuclear threat, and a proliferation of major conflicts.” He urged stronger efforts to safeguard Europe and continued support for Ukraine.
Bastille Day is also a moment to recognize extraordinary individuals. France’s highest honors, including the Legion of Honor, are awarded during this time. Among this year’s recipients is Gisele Pelicot, hailed worldwide for standing up for victims of sexual violence during a four-month trial in which her husband and dozens of other men were convicted of assaulting her while she was drugged unconscious.
