Bastille Day at the Arc de Triomphe

July 14: France's National Celebration

Every July 14, the Arc de Triomphe hosts the centerpiece of Fête Nationale (Bastille Day):

• Morning: Presidential review of troops at the Arc; wreath-laying at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
• Parade: Military units, vehicles, aircraft flyover march down the Champs-Élysées from the Arc to Place de la Concorde.
• Evening: Fireworks at the Eiffel Tower; public balls (bals des pompiers) at fire stations nationwide.

Historical Roots

Commemorates the 1789 Storming of the Bastille (revolutionary symbol) and the 1790 Fête de la Fédération (unity). The military parade tradition began in 1880 under the Third Republic to assert republican legitimacy.

The Arc, commissioned by Napoleon in 1806, became the ceremonial anchor—linking imperial glory to republican pride.