Bastille Day, celebrated annually on July 14, commemorates the storming of the Bastille fortress and prison in Paris in 1789. This violent uprising of commoners against an oppressive royal symbol marked the explosive beginning of the French Revolution and the end of the ancien régime.

The Bastille was originally a medieval fortress that came to represent the tyrannical absolutism of the Bourbon monarchy under King Louis XVI. On July 14, 1789, an angry mob approached the structure to demand arms and gunpowder. When the guards resisted, the revolutionaries stormed the building, killed its governor, and released the few prisoners inside. This bold defiance signaled to the King that the people had the power to challenge his rule.

Celebrating the "Fourteenth of July"

In France, the holiday is referred to as le 14 juillet (the Fourteenth of July) or la fête nationale. It was officially established as an annual national holiday in 1880 to promote unity and republican pride.

Traditions include:

The Military Parade: Paris hosts the oldest and largest military parade in the world along the Avenue des Champs-Élysées, often attended by the French President and international dignitaries.

Fireworks and Festivities: Cities and towns across France celebrate with elaborate firework displays, concerts, and communal dances called bals des pompiers (firemen's balls).

The Patrouille de France flying during an air show in Poland. This unit of the French Air Force traditionally opens the Bastille Day military parade in Paris each 14 July.

A cavalryman of the French Republican Guard during the Bastille Day military parade. This regiment is responsible for special security duties in Paris (including guarding important public buildings) and for providing guards of honour at official ceremonies.