Bastille Day

You are hereby invited to celebrate the French national day in Paris! The Bastille Day commemorates the day the French people stormed the Bastille in 1789, a giant step toward becoming a democratic country. Bastille Day is celebrated all throughout France, and it is also celebrated outside France. The biggest celebration, however, is held in Paris!

What can you expect if you come to Paris on July 14th? What should you do? Here you have some recommendations.

One of the most important events is the military parade. It starts at 11.00 from Arc de Triomphe and heads towards Place de la Concorde. It is also normal for planes to paint the French flag in the sky around 10.30, so do not forget to look up as you hear the noise! The program starts around 10.00 at the Arc de Triomphe, so you should definitely arrive in time. People crowd up early in the morning, so if you want a good view, it is probably wise to book a hotel near Champs Elysees or show up around 8.00 in the morning.

Another highlight of July 14th is the fireworks in the evening. This is best enjoyed near the Eiffel Tower and it starts around 23.00 and lasts thirty minutes. This is the place to go if you want to see beautiful fireworks! There is normally a free classical concert by the Eiffel Tower at 21.00, another event worth checking out.

Would you like to have even more fun? You should go to a fire station. Throughout Paris, fire stations are open to the public and on the inside, it is a mixture of food, drinks, disco, and more! Some places have free entrance while others charge you a few euros. The money collected is used to renovate and improve the working environments for future firefighters. These events are often referred to as Firemen’s Balls.

Are you ready to celebrate Bastille Day in Paris?

Would you like to see what the firework is like? Take a look at this video from 2014.