Vive La France!: Bastille Day Celebrations

When the Fourth of July passed while we were here in Paris, it felt odd to miss such an important American holiday. (Don’t worry, though, us Americans stopped by the Hard Rock Cafe here in Paris for a little taste of home). However, we did get to celebrate Bastille Day in Paris, which I found to be equally as special as the Fourth of July and made up for missing the celebration at home.

I’ll preface with a brief crash course on French history. Known as “La Fête Nationale” or “Le Quatorze Juillet” in France, this day commemorates the 1789 storming of the Bastille. This military fortress served as a prison, but was also a symbol of the monarchy and, at this time, their corruptness. Though there were only seven prisoners at the time, this event represented a turning point in the French Revolution. The war eventually ended in 1799 with the overthrowing of the royal authority. France would never have another king (emperor, yes, because of Napoleon, but that’s another history lesson of its own). By abolishing Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette by the end of the war, France established a democratic republic to flourish in the years to come – a victory achieved starting with the storming the Bastille on July 14, 1789.

To start off our weekend of festivities, on the eve of Bastille Day, we went to the “Bal de Pompiers” in our neighborhood. Pompiers are firefighters and just about every quarter across the city they hold a celebration at the firehouse. We met up with other students from the program and enjoyed an evening of dancing and truly had a ball!

Natasha and I were up bright and early the next day to see the military parade down the Champs-Elysées. Starting at Place de la Concorde, every branch of the military is visible and celebrated. Because French President Emmanuel Macron invited President Donald Trump as his guest this year, the American military was there, too, marching alongside the French! It was nice to see a little taste of home over here in Paris. We arrived a little too late for a front row seat and couldn’t see much of the soldiers marching, but the tanks and air force were truly a spectacle. Plus, right in front of us was the cavalry, which galloped by at the end of the parade. We stayed and listened to French President Emmanuel Macron’s speech where he described strong relations between the United States and France, his hopeful outlook for France’s future, and his love and pride for the country.

Despite our evening out and our early morning, our day was just getting started. Taking advantage of the closed streets spanning the blocks along the Champs-Elysées, Natasha and I wandered along the cobblestone streets admiring the architecture and enjoying the beautiful day. We eventually settled on a quiche lunch before going back home to prepare for our evening activities. Because we were off from school, we decided to join other students from the program on the Champs de Mars for a picnic in front of the Eiffel Tower to watch the fireworks.

We rushed through the grocery store and bought baguettes, salami, vegetables, speculoos (cinnamon cookies!), and a round of camembert. Though fireworks didn’t start until 11pm, everyone decided to meet at 5 o’clock to secure our spot on the field. Unfortunately for us, city officials didn’t allow anyone on the field until 6pm, so we had to wait in line for an hour. Our time was well worth it, though, as we picked out the prime spot for viewing the fireworks.

As you can see, I was very excited for this picnic

I think everyone who came was afraid that we wouldn’t have enough food and brought extra. We found ourselves with a surplus of food and a human to baguette ratio of one to one! – I don’t think we could’ve celebrated France better. I know a six-hour picnic sounds like a long time, but with great company, it was not difficult at all!

Until the sunset, we enjoyed each other’s company and exchanged stories from our first two weeks in Paris (in addition to gorging ourselves on the massive quantities of food we brought, haha). Everyone seemed to be enjoying class and making the most of their time in the City of Light. Also, situated underneath the Eiffel Tower, the city of Paris hosted a free concert, which helped keep us entertained! The large screens and speakers across Champ de Mars ensured everyone could hear/see it. The performance featured Orchestre National de Paris and highlighted soloists and duets singing the most famous opera classics. I have never been to an opera before, but I must say it was beautiful.

Before we knew it, it was dark out and it was time for the fireworks to begin. The theme this year was “Paris & The Olympic Games,” in honor of their bid for the 2024 Summer Olympics. I have spent the Fourth of July in Washington DC before, but Paris’ firework show is truly unmatched. All I can say is that the Bastille Day fireworks were unlike anything I have ever seen before and a necessary bucket-list item. I’m already scheming to find a way to return to Paris next year for Bastille Day, they were that good. They shot fireworks off the Eiffel Tower. The engineering, pyrotechnics, and planning must have been immense, but the effort paid off with the beautiful display of fireworks we were treated with that night.

Sleepy after a full day of celebration, we walked to the metro and parted ways with everyone. It felt surreal to experience such an important French holiday, and was made even better by the friends who I spent it with. I can’t believe we’ve been here for two weeks, but all of today’s events confirmed my love for this country. Vive La France!