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Wednesday, July 14, 2027
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About Bastille Day
Bastille Day, known in France simply as le 14 juillet or la Fete nationale, marks the storming of the Bastille prison in Paris on July 14, 1789, the flashpoint of the French Revolution. The fortress-prison had come to symbolize royal tyranny, and its fall to an armed Parisian crowd lit the fuse for the collapse of absolute monarchy and the birth of modern French republicanism.
Today the date is France's most important national holiday. The centerpiece is the oldest and largest military parade in Europe, held on the Champs-Elysees and reviewed by the President, while fighter jets trail blue, white, and red smoke over the crowd. Across the country, towns host firemen's balls, fireworks, communal meals, and dancing in the streets.
For visitors, Bastille Day offers a rare blend of pageantry and street-level joy. Mornings belong to formal ceremony and air displays; evenings belong to brass bands, pop-up dances, and spectacular pyrotechnics above the Eiffel Tower. It is both a solemn commemoration of liberty and a full-throated summer party.
History of Bastille Day
On the morning of July 14, 1789, Parisians searching for gunpowder and weapons stormed the Bastille, a medieval fortress used as a state prison. The governor was captured, the garrison surrendered, and within weeks feudal privileges were abolished and the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen was drafted. The anniversary was first celebrated officially on June 30, 1878, and a year later, July 14 was declared a national feast day, deliberately chosen to honor both the 1789 uprising and the Federation Festival of 1790. Successive republics kept the tradition, and the military parade on the Champs-Elysees became the world's oldest regular military review. Through two world wars and changing regimes, the day has remained a symbol of national unity, recalling that sovereignty in France rests with its citizens rather than its rulers.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- When is Bastille Day?
- Bastille Day falls every year on July 14, commemorating the storming of the Bastille prison in Paris on that date in 1789.
- Is Bastille Day a public holiday?
- Yes. Bastille Day is France's national public holiday. Government offices, schools, and many businesses close, and the day is also marked by French communities and embassies worldwide.
- How do people celebrate Bastille Day?
- People celebrate with the military parade in Paris, fireworks, firemen's balls, communal meals, and street dancing. French expat communities observe the date with festivals, markets, and concerts around the world.
- What exactly happened at the Bastille?
- A Parisian crowd stormed the fortress-prison to seize gunpowder and free political prisoners. Only seven inmates were inside, but the event became the defining spark of the French Revolution.