:Bastille Day

{{Redirect|Fête nationale française|other French language fêtes nationales|Fête nationale}}

{{Infobox holiday

| image = Feu d'artifice du 14 juillet 2017 depuis le champ de Mars à Paris, devant la Tour Eiffel, Bastille day 2017 (35118978683).jpg

| caption = Fireworks at the Eiffel Tower, Paris, 2017

| holiday_name = Bastille Day

| nickname = French National Day
({{lang|fr|Fête nationale}})
The Fourteenth of July
({{lang|fr|Quatorze juillet}})

| significance = Commemorates the Storming of the Bastille on 14 July 1789, and the unity of the French people at the Fête de la Fédération on 14 July 1790

| observedby = France

| date = 14 July

| scheduling = same day each year

| frequency = Annual

| celebrations = Military parades, fireworks, concerts, balls

| type = national

| longtype = National day

}}

Bastille Day is the common name given in English-speaking countries to the national day of France, which is celebrated on 14 July each year. It is referred to, both legally[http://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/affichCodeArticle.do?idArticle=LEGIARTI000006902611&cidTexte=LEGITEXT000006072050 Article L. 3133-3 of French labour code] on www.legifrance.gouv.fr. and commonly, as {{lang|fr|le 14 juillet}} ({{IPA|fr|lə katɔʁz(ə) ʒɥijɛ|lang}}) in French, though la fête nationale is also used in the press.

French National Day is the anniversary of the Storming of the Bastille on 14 July 1789,{{cite web|title=Bastille Day – 14th July|url=https://www.france.fr/en/happening-now-in-france/happy-bastille-day-where-better-to-celebrate-than-in-paris|website=Official Website of France|quote=A national celebration, a re-enactment of the storming of the Bastille ... Commemorating the storming of the Bastille on 14th July 1789, Bastille Day takes place on the same date each year. The main event is a grand military parade along the Champs-Élysées, attended by the President of the Republic and other political leaders. It is accompanied by fireworks and public dances in towns throughout the whole of France.|url-status = dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140715082859/http://www.france.fr/en/celebrations-and-festivals/bastille-day-14th-july.html|archive-date=15 July 2014}}{{cite web|title=La fête nationale du 14 juillet|url=http://www.elysee.fr/la-presidence/la-fete-nationale-du-14-juillet/|website=Official Website of Elysée|date=21 October 2015 }} a major event of the French Revolution,{{cite web|title=The Beginning of the French Revolution, 1789 |url= http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/frenchrevolution.htm|website=EyeWitness to History| quote= Thomas Jefferson was America's minister to France in 1789. As tensions grew and violence erupted, Jefferson traveled to Versailles and Paris to observe events first-hand. He reported his experience in a series of letters to America's Secretary of State, John Jay. We join Jefferson's story as tensions escalate to violence on July 12:
July 12
In the afternoon a body of about 100 German cavalry were advanced and drawn up in the Palace Louis XV. and about 300 Swiss posted at a little distance in their rear. This drew people to that spot, who naturally formed themselves in front of the troops, at first merely to look at them. But as their numbers increased their indignation arose: they retired a few steps, posted themselves on and behind large piles of loose stone collected in that Place for a bridge adjacent to it, and attacked the horse with stones. The horse charged, but the advantageous position of the people, and the showers of stones obliged them to retire, and even to quit the field altogether, leaving one of their number on the ground. The Swiss in their rear were observed never to stir. This was the signal for universal insurrection, and this body of cavalry, to avoid being massacred, retired towards Versailles.
The people now armed themselves with such weapons as they could find in Armourer's shops and private houses, and with bludgeons, and were roaming all night through all parts of the city without any decided and practicable object.
July 13
...A Committee of magistrates and electors of the city are appointed, by their bodies, to take upon them its government.
The mob, now openly joined by the French guards, force the prisons of St. Lazare, release all the prisoners, and take a great store of corn, which they carry to the corn market. Here they get some arms, and the French guards begin to form and train them. The City committee determines to raise 48,000 Bourgeois, or rather to restrain their numbers to 48,000.'}} as well as the {{lang|fr|Fête de la Fédération}} that celebrated the unity of the French people on 14 July 1790. Celebrations are held throughout France. One that has been reported as "the oldest and largest military parade in Europe"{{cite web|url=https://www.france24.com/en/20140714-france-commemorates-bastille-day-world-war-centenary |date=14 July 2014 |title=France commemorates WWI centenary on Bastille Day |work=France 24 |access-date=13 July 2020}} is held on 14 July on the Champs-Élysées in Paris in front of the President of France, along with other French officials and foreign guests.{{cite web |url=http://www.paris.com/paris_city_guide/city_visits_of_paris/champs_elysees_arc_de_triomphe |title=Champs-Élysées city visit in Paris, France – Recommended city visit of Champs-Élysées in Paris |publisher=Paris.com |access-date=27 July 2011 |url-status = dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110807091009/http://www.paris.com/paris_city_guide/city_visits_of_paris/champs_elysees_arc_de_triomphe |archive-date=7 August 2011 }}{{cite web |url=http://paris-attractions.net/celebrate-bastille-day-in-paris-this-year/ |title=Celebrate Bastille Day in Paris This Year |publisher=Paris Attractions |date=3 May 2011 |access-date=27 July 2011 |url-status = usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120326174027/http://paris-attractions.net/celebrate-bastille-day-in-paris-this-year/ |archive-date=26 March 2012 }}

History

{{external media

| topic = Bastille Day 2023

| headerimage= File:YouTube 2024.svg

| caption = via YouTube

| video1 = [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENnYWC4EsRM&t Live: Cérémonie du 14 juillet 2023] (14 July 2023), by Élysée Palace (in French)

}}

In 1789, tensions rose in France between reformist and conservative factions as the country struggled to resolve an economic crisis. In May, the Estates General legislative assembly was revived, but members of the Third Estate broke ranks, declaring themselves to be the National Assembly of the country, and on 20 June, vowed to write a constitution for the kingdom.

On 11 July, Jacques Necker, the finance minister of Louis XVI, who was sympathetic to the Third Estate, was dismissed by the King, provoking an angry reaction among Parisians. Crowds formed, fearful of an attack by the royal army or by foreign regiments of mercenaries in the King's service and seeking to arm themselves. Early on 14 July, a crowd besieged the Hôtel des Invalides for firearms, muskets, and cannons stored in its cellars.{{cite magazine |url=https://time.com/4402553/bastille-day-history-july-14/ |title=What Actually Happened on the Original Bastille Day|first=Emma|last=Ockerman|magazine=TIME|date=13 July 2016 }} That same day, another crowd stormed the Bastille, a fortress-prison in Paris that had historically held people jailed on the basis of lettres de cachet (literally "signet letters"), arbitrary royal indictments that could not be appealed and did not indicate the reason for the imprisonment, and was believed to hold a cache of ammunition and gunpowder. As it happened, at the time of the attack, the Bastille held only seven inmates, none of great political significance.Chevallaz, G. A., Histoire générale de 1789 à nos jours, p. 22, Lausanne: Payot, 1974.

The crowd was eventually reinforced by the mutinous Régiment des Gardes Françaises ("Regiment of French Guards"), whose usual role was to protect public buildings. They proved a fair match for the fort's defenders, and Governor de Launay, the commander of the Bastille, capitulated and opened the gates to avoid a mutual massacre. According to the official documents, about 200 attackers and just one defender died before the capitulation. However, possibly because of a misunderstanding, fighting resumed. In this second round of fighting, de Launay and seven other defenders were killed, as was Jacques de Flesselles, the prévôt des marchands ("provost of the merchants"), the elected head of the city's guilds, who under the French monarchy had the responsibilities of a present-day mayor.Isaac, J., L'époque révolutionnaire 1789–1851, p. 60, Paris: Hachette, 1950.

Shortly after the storming of the Bastille, late in the evening of 4 August, after a very stormy session of the Assemblée constituante, feudalism was abolished. On 26 August, the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen (Déclaration des Droits de l'Homme et du Citoyen) was proclaimed.Isaac, L'époque révolutionnaire 1789–1851, p. 64, Paris: Hachette, 1950.

=''Fête de la Fédération''=

File:Fête de la Fédération 1790, Musée de la Révolution française - Vizille.jpg]]

As early as 1789, the year of the storming of the Bastille, preliminary designs for a national festival were underway. These designs were intended to strengthen the country's national identity through the celebration of the events of 14 July 1789.{{Cite book|title=The Bastille: A History of a Symbol of Despotism and Freedom|last=Lüsebrink|first=Hans-Jürgen|publisher=Duke Press University|year=1997|isbn=9780822382751|pages=151}} One of the first designs was proposed by Clément Gonchon, a French textile worker, who presented his design for a festival celebrating the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille to the French city administration and the public on 9 December 1789.{{Cite book|title=The Bastille: A History of a Symbol of Despotism and Freedom|last1=Lüsebrink|first1=Hans-Jürgen|last2=Reichardt|first2=Rolf|publisher=Duke University Press|year=1997|isbn=9780822382751|pages=152}} There were other proposals and unofficial celebrations of 14 July 1789, but the official festival sponsored by the National Assembly was called the Fête de la Fédération.{{Cite book|title=The Bastille: A History of a Symbol of Despotism and Freedom|last1=Lüsebrink|first1=Hans-Jürgen|last2=Reichardt|first2=Rolf|publisher=Duke University Press|year=1997|isbn=9780822382751|pages=153}}

The Fête de la Fédération on 14 July 1790 was a celebration of the unity of the French nation during the French Revolution. The aim of this celebration, one year after the Storming of the Bastille, was to symbolize peace. The event took place on the Champ de Mars, which was located far outside of Paris at the time. The work needed to transform the Champ de Mars into a suitable location for the celebration was not on schedule to be completed in time. On the day recalled as the Journée des brouettes ("The Day of the Wheelbarrow"), thousands of Parisian citizens gathered together to finish the construction needed for the celebration.{{Cite book|title=The Fourteenth of July|last=Prendergast|first=Christopher|publisher=Profile Books Ltd.|year=2008|isbn=9781861979391|pages=[https://archive.org/details/fourteenthofjuly0000pren/page/105 105–106]|url=https://archive.org/details/fourteenthofjuly0000pren/page/105}}

The day of the festival, the National Guard assembled and proceeded along the boulevard du Temple in the pouring rain, and were met by an estimated 260,000 Parisian citizens at the Champ de Mars.{{Cite book|title=The Fourteenth of July|last=Prendergast|first=Christopher|publisher=Profile Books Ltd|year=2008|isbn=9781861979391|pages=[https://archive.org/details/fourteenthofjuly0000pren/page/106 106–107]|url=https://archive.org/details/fourteenthofjuly0000pren/page/106}} A mass was celebrated by Talleyrand, bishop of Autun. The popular General Lafayette, as captain of the National Guard of Paris and a confidant of the king, took his oath to the constitution, followed by King Louis XVI. After the end of the official celebration, the day ended in a huge four-day popular feast, and people celebrated with fireworks, as well as fine wine and running nude through the streets in order to display their freedom.{{Cite book |last=Gottschalk |first=Louis Reichenthal |author-link= Louis R. Gottschalk |title=Lafayette in the French Revolution |date=1973 |publisher=University of Chicago Press |isbn=0-226-30547-3}}

=Origin of the current celebration=

File:Monet-montorgueil.JPG, Rue Montorgueil, Paris, Festival of 30 June 1878]]

On 30 June 1878, a feast was officially arranged in Paris to honour the French Republic (the event was commemorated in a painting by Claude Monet).{{cite book|last=Adamson|first=Natalie|title=Painting, politics and the struggle for the École de Paris, 1944–1964|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EgNGAQAAIAAJ|access-date=13 July 2011|date=15 August 2009|publisher=Ashgate|isbn=978-0-7546-5928-0|page=68}} On 14 July 1879, there was another feast, with a semi-official aspect. The day's events included a reception in the Chamber of Deputies, organised and presided over by Léon Gambetta{{cite book|last=Nord|first=Philip G.|title=Impressionists and politics: art and democracy in the nineteenth century|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cNSVHrVlGMQC&pg=PA37|access-date=13 July 2011|year=2000|publisher=Psychology Press|isbn=978-0-415-20695-2|page=37}} (a military reviewer at Longchamp), and a Republican Feast in the Pré Catelan.{{cite book|last=Nord|first=Philip G.|title=The republican moment: struggles for democracy in nineteenth-century France|url=https://archive.org/details/republicanmoment0000nord|url-access=registration|access-date=13 July 2011|year=1995|publisher=Harvard University Press|isbn=978-0-674-76271-8|page=[https://archive.org/details/republicanmoment0000nord/page/205 205]}} All throughout France, Le Figaro wrote, "people feasted much to honour the storming of the Bastille".{{cite news|title=Paris Au Jour Le Jour|url=http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k277157p/f4.image|access-date=15 January 2013|newspaper=Le Figaro|date=16 July 1879|page=4|quote=On a beaucoup banqueté avant-hier, en mémoire de la prise de la Bastille, et comme tout banquet suppose un ou plusieurs discours, on a aussi beaucoup parlé.}}

In 1880, the government of the Third Republic wanted to revive the 14 July festival. The campaign for the reinstatement of the festival was sponsored by the notable politician Léon Gambetta and scholar Henri Baudrillant.{{Cite book|title=The Fourteenth of July|last=Prendergast|first=Christopher|publisher=Profile Books Ltd|year=2008|isbn=9781861979391|pages=[https://archive.org/details/fourteenthofjuly0000pren/page/127 127]|url=https://archive.org/details/fourteenthofjuly0000pren/page/127}} On 21 May 1880, Benjamin Raspail proposed a law, signed by sixty-four members of government, to have "the Republic adopt 14 July as the day of an annual national festival". There were many disputes over which date to be remembered as the national holiday, including 4 August (the commemoration of the end of the feudal system), 5 May (when the Estates-General first assembled), 27 July (the fall of Robespierre), and 21 January (the date of Louis XVI's execution).{{Cite book|title=The Fourteenth of July|last=Prendergast|first=Christopher|publisher=Profile Books Ltd|year=2008|isbn=9781861979391|pages=[https://archive.org/details/fourteenthofjuly0000pren/page/129 129]|url=https://archive.org/details/fourteenthofjuly0000pren/page/129}} The government decided that the date of the holiday would be 14 July, but that was still somewhat problematic. The events of 14 July 1789 were illegal under the previous government, which contradicted the Third Republic

need to establish legal legitimacy.{{Cite book|title=The Fourteenth of July|last=Prendergast|first=Christopher|publisher=Profile Books Ltd|year=2008|isbn=9781861979391|pages=[https://archive.org/details/fourteenthofjuly0000pren/page/130 130]|url=https://archive.org/details/fourteenthofjuly0000pren/page/130}} French politicians also did not want the sole foundation of their national holiday to be rooted in a day of bloodshed and class-hatred as the day of storming the Bastille was. Instead, they based the establishment of the holiday as both the celebration of the Fête de la Fédération, a festival celebrating the anniversary of the Republic of France on 14 July 1789, and the storming of the Bastille.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-23280120|title=Bastille Day: How peace and revolution got mixed up|last=Schofield|first=Hugh|date=14 July 2013|website=BBC News}} The Assembly voted in favor of the proposal on 21 May, and 8 June. The law was approved on 27 and 29 June. The celebration was made official on 6 July 1880.{{Cite web |date=2023-07-14 |title=Bastille Day {{!}} Definition, History, Traditions, Celebrations, & Facts {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Bastille-Day |access-date=2023-07-15 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}

In the debate leading up to the adoption of the holiday, Senator Henri Martin, who wrote the National Day law, addressed the chamber on 29 June 1880:

{{Blockquote|text=Do not forget that behind this 14 July, where victory of the new era over the Ancien Régime was bought by fighting, do not forget that after the day of 14 July 1789, there was the day of 14 July 1790 (...) This [latter] day cannot be blamed for having shed a drop of blood, for having divided the country. It was the consecration of the unity of France (...) If some of you might have scruples against the first 14 July, they certainly hold none against the second. Whatever difference which might part us, something hovers over them, it is the great images of national unity, which we all desire, for which we would all stand, willing to die if necessary.|sign=Henri Martin, 1880[https://web.archive.org/web/20130309015033/http://blog.greetingcarduniverse.com/2011/07/le-quatorze-juillet/ Le Quatorze Juillet] at the [https://web.archive.org/web/20090802114707/http://blog.greetingcarduniverse.com/ Greeting Card Universe Blog]}}

=Bastille Day military parade=

File:14 juillet. Le 27e Chasseur - Fonds Berthelé - 49Fi1866.jpg

The Bastille Day military parade is the French military parade that has been held in the morning, every year in Paris, since 1880. While previously held elsewhere within or near the capital city, since 1918 it has been held on the Champs-Élysées, with the participation of the Allies as represented in the Versailles Peace Conference, and with the exception of the period of German occupation from 1940 to 1944 (when the ceremony took place in London under the command of General Charles de Gaulle); and 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic forced its cancellation.[http://www.garnison-paris.terre.defense.gouv.fr/14juillet2008/les-coulisses/historique-du-defile.htm Défilé du 14 juillet, des origines à nos jours] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110224003154/http://www.garnison-paris.terre.defense.gouv.fr/14juillet2008/les-coulisses/historique-du-defile.htm |date=24 February 2011 }} (14 July Parade, from its origins to the present) The parade passes down the Champs-Élysées from the Arc de Triomphe to the Place de la Concorde, where the President of the French Republic, his government and foreign ambassadors to France stand. This is a popular event in France, broadcast on French TV, and is the oldest and largest regular military parade in Europe.

Smaller military parades are held in French garrison towns, including Toulon and Belfort, with local troops.{{Cite web|title=France's National Day|url=https://shape.nato.int/page11283634/national-days/frances-national-day.aspx|access-date=2021-10-13|website=shape.nato.int|language=en}}

File:Bastille Day Parade 170714-D-PB383-005 (35087624434).jpg|Allied forces participate in the military parade

File:Fly over Bastille Day 2017.jpg|The Patrouille de France with nine Alpha Jets over the Champs-Élysées in Paris in 2017, during the Bastille Day military parade

File:French Republican Guard Bastille Day 2007 n1.jpg|Horseman of the Republican Guard during the 2007 military parade on the Champs-Élysées

File:Dominique Vallet-IMG 5734.JPG|Surgeon general inspector Dominique Vallet, head of the Laveran military medical school, at the ceremonies for Bastille Day in Marseille, 2012

Bastille Day celebrations in other countries

=Belgium=

Liège celebrates Bastille Day each year since the end of the First World War, as Liège was decorated by the Légion d'Honneur for its unexpected resistance during the Battle of Liège.{{Cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-travel-picks-bastilleday/travel-picks-top-10-bastille-day-celebrations-idUSBRE86C0IT20120713 |title=Travel Picks: Top 10 Bastille Day celebrations |date=13 July 2012 |work=Reuters |access-date=13 July 2018 |language=en-US }} The city also hosts a fireworks show outside of Congress Hall. Specifically in Liège, celebrations of Bastille Day have been known to be bigger than the celebrations of the Belgian National holiday.{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/france/galleries/Bastille-Day-world-celebrations/liege-belgium/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/france/galleries/Bastille-Day-world-celebrations/liege-belgium/ |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Bastille Day: world celebrations|date=12 July 2012|website=The Telegraph}}{{cbignore}} Around 35,000 people gather to celebrate Bastille Day. There is a traditional festival dance of the French consul that draws large crowds, and many unofficial events over the city celebrate the relationship between France and the city of Liège.{{Cite web|url=http://eurofluence.com/en/an-unusual-bastille-day-in-liege-belgium/|title=An unusual Bastille Day: in Liège, Belgium|date=19 July 2014|website=Eurofluence|access-date=4 December 2018|archive-date=30 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201030185345/http://eurofluence.com/en/an-unusual-bastille-day-in-liege-belgium/|url-status=dead}}

=Canada=

Vancouver, British Columbia holds a celebration featuring exhibits, food and entertainment.{{Cite web |url=http://www.bastilledayfestival.ca/ |title=Bastille Day Festival Vancouver |website=Bastille Day Festival Vancouver |language=en |access-date=13 July 2018 }} The Toronto Bastille Day festival is also celebrated in Toronto, Ontario. The festival is organized by the French-Canadian community in Toronto and sponsored by the Consulate General of France. The celebration includes music, performances, sport competitions, and a French Market. At the end of the festival, there is also a traditional French bal populaire.{{Cite web|url=http://www.frenchstreet.ca/toronto-bastille-day/|title=Toronto Bastille Day|website=French Street}}

=Czech Republic=

Since 2008, Prague has hosted a French market "{{lang|fr|Le marché du 14 juillet}}" ("Fourteenth of July Market") offering traditional French food and wine as well as music. The market takes place on Kampa Island, it is usually between 11 and 14 July.{{Cite web |url=https://www.prague.eu/en/event/6896/french-market-at-kampa-le-marche-du-14-juillet |title=French Market at Kampa – Le marché du 14 Juillet |website=Prague.eu |language=en |access-date=13 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180713200950/https://www.prague.eu/en/event/6896/french-market-at-kampa-le-marche-du-14-juillet |archive-date=13 July 2018 |url-status = dead }} It acts as an event that marks the relinquish of the EU presidency from France to the Czech Republic. Traditional selections of French produce, including cheese, wine, meat, bread and pastries, are provided by the market. Throughout the event, live music is played in the evenings, with lanterns lighting up the square at night.{{Cite web|url=https://www.worldfirst.com/uk/blog/economic-updates/daily-update/7-places-outside-france-bastille-day-celebrated/|title=7 places outside France where Bastille Day is celebrated|last=Trumper|first=David|date=11 July 2014|website=WorldFirst}}

= Denmark =

The amusement park Tivoli celebrates Bastille Day.{{Cite web|title=Tivoli fejrer Bastilledag|url=https://www.tivoli.dk:443/da/kultur-og-program/program/2021/tivoli-_fejrer_bastilledag|access-date=2022-01-14|website=Tivoli|language=da}}File:Fireworks on the Danube Bastille Day 2008.jpg, Hungary]]

=Hungary=

Budapest's two-day celebration is sponsored by the Institut de France.{{cite web|url=http://www.budapestresources.com/node/447 |title=Bastille Day 2007 – Budapest |publisher=Budapestresources.com |date=14 July 2011 |access-date=27 July 2011| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110708104413/http://www.budapestresources.com/node/447| archive-date= 8 July 2011 |url-status = usurped}} The festival is hosted along the Danube River, with streets filled with music and dancing. There are also local markets dedicated to French foods and wine, mixed with some traditional Hungarian specialties. At the end of the celebration, a fireworks show is held on the river banks.{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-travel-picks-bastilleday-idUSBRE86C0IT20120713|title=Travel Picks: Top 10 Bastille Day celebrations|newspaper=Reuters|date=13 July 2012}}

=India=

Bastille Day is celebrated with great festivity in Pondicherry, a former French colony.{{cite web|url=https://www.py.gov.in/knowpuducherry/puduculture.html|title=Puducherry Culture|publisher=Government of Puducherry|access-date=14 July 2014|archive-date=8 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200508194927/http://py.gov.in/knowpuducherry/puduculture.html|url-status=dead}}{{Cite web|last=Miner Murray|first=Meghan|date=12 July 2019|title=9 Bastille Day bashes that celebrate French culture|url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/lists/seasonal/experience-french-culture-at-these-bastille-day-celebrations/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190713051453/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/lists/seasonal/experience-french-culture-at-these-bastille-day-celebrations/|url-status=dead|archive-date=13 July 2019|website=National Geographic}}

=Ireland=

The Embassy of France in Ireland organizes several events around Dublin, Cork and Limerick for Bastille Day; including evenings of French music and tasting of French food. Many members of the French community in Ireland take part in the festivities.{{Cite web |url=https://ie.ambafrance.org/https-ie-ambafrance-org-Bastille-Day-2018 |title=Bastille Day 2018 |publisher=French Embassy in Ireland |language=en |access-date=13 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180713205853/https://ie.ambafrance.org/https-ie-ambafrance-org-Bastille-Day-2018 |archive-date=13 July 2018 |url-status = dead }} Events in Dublin include live entertainment, speciality menus on French cuisine, and screenings of popular French films.{{Cite web|url=http://babylonradio.com/july-14th-bastille-day-celebrations-dublin/|title=July 14th Bastille Day Celebrations in Dublin|date=14 July 2016|website=Babylon Radio}}

=New Zealand=

The Auckland suburb of Remuera hosts an annual French-themed Bastille Day street festival.{{Cite web|url=https://www.remuera.org.nz/|title=Array|website=Remuera Business Association}} Visitors enjoy mimes, dancers, music, as well as French foods and drinks. The budding relationship between the two countries, with the establishment of a Maori garden in France and exchange of their analyses of cave art, resulted in the creation of an official reception at the Residence of France. There is also an event in Wellington for the French community held at the Residence of France.

=South Africa=

Franschhoek's weekend festival{{cite web|url=http://www.franschhoek.co.za/bastille.html |title=Bastille Day Festival at Franschhoek |publisher=Franschhoek.co.za |access-date=27 July 2011| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110725190720/http://www.franschhoek.co.za/bastille.html| archive-date= 25 July 2011 |url-status = live}} has been celebrated since 1993. (Franschhoek, or 'French Corner,' is situated in the Western Cape.) As South Africa's gourmet capital, French food, wine and other entertainment is provided throughout the festival. The French Consulate in South Africa also celebrates their national holiday with a party for the French community. Activities also include dressing up in different items of French clothing.{{Cite web|url=https://www.sahistory.org.za/dated-event/bastille-day-celebrated-across-world-and-franchhoek-south-africa|title=Bastille Day is celebrated across the world and in Franchhoek, South Africa|date=12 November 2017|website=South African History Online}}

= French Polynesia=

Following colonial rule, France annexed a large portion of what is now French Polynesia. Under French rule, Tahitians were permitted to participate in sport, singing, and dancing competitions one day a year: Bastille Day.{{Cite web|url=https://xdaysiny.com/heiva-festival-tahiti-french-polynesia/|title=The Best Festival You've Never Heard Of: The Heiva in Tahiti|date=7 July 2017|website=X Days in Y}} The single day of celebration evolved into the major Heiva i Tahiti festival in Papeete Tahiti, where traditional events such as canoe races, tattooing, and fire walks are held. The singing and dancing competitions continue with music composed with traditional instruments such as the nasal flute and ukulele.

=United Kingdom=

Within the UK, London has a large French contingent, and celebrates Bastille Day at various locations across the city including Battersea Park, Camden Town and Kentish Town.{{cite web|url=http://www.viewlondon.co.uk/whatson/bastille-day-london-feature-1130.html |title=Bastille Day London – Bastille Day Events in London, Bastille Day 2011 |publisher=Viewlondon.co.uk |access-date=27 July 2011| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110617102403/http://www.viewlondon.co.uk/whatson/bastille-day-london-feature-1130.html| archive-date= 17 June 2011 |url-status = live}} Live entertainment is performed at Canary Wharf, with weeklong performances of French theatre at the Lion and Unicorn Theatre in Kentish Town. Restaurants feature cabarets and special menus across the city, and other celebrations include garden parties and sports tournaments. There is also a large event at the Bankside and Borough Market, where there is live music, street performers, and traditional French games played.

=United States=

The United States has over 20 cities that conduct annual celebrations of Bastille Day. The different cities celebrate with many French staples such as food, music, games, and sometimes the recreation of famous French landmarks.{{Cite web|url=https://france-amerique.com/en/where-to-celebrate-bastille-day-in-the-united-states/|title=Where to Celebrate Bastille Day in the United States?|date=6 July 2017|website=France-Amérique}}

;Northeastern States

Baltimore, Maryland, has a large Bastille Day celebration each year at Petit Louis in the Roland Park area of Baltimore. Boston has a celebration annually, hosted by the French Cultural Center for 40 years. The street festival occurs in Boston's Back Bay neighborhood, near the Cultural Center's headquarters. The celebration includes francophone musical performers, dancing, and French cuisine.{{Cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/france/galleries/Bastille-Day-world-celebrations/ |title=Bastille Day: world celebrations |date=4 February 2016 |work=The Telegraph |access-date=13 July 2018 |language=en-GB |issn=0307-1235 }} New York City has numerous Bastille Day celebrations each July, including Bastille Day on 60th Street hosted by the French Institute Alliance Française between Fifth and Lexington Avenues on the Upper East Side of Manhattan,{{cite web|url=http://www.bastilledayny.com|title=Bastille Day on 60th Street, New York City, Sunday, July 15, 2012 | 12–5pm | Fifth Avenue to Lexington Avenue|date=10 July 2011|publisher=Bastilledayny.com|access-date=27 July 2011}} Bastille Day on Smith Street in Brooklyn, and Bastille Day in Tribeca. There is also the annual Bastille Day Ball, taking place since 1924. Philadelphia's Bastille Day, held at Eastern State Penitentiary, involves Marie Antoinette throwing locally manufactured Tastykakes at the Parisian militia, as well as a re-enactment of the storming of the Bastille. (This Philadelphia tradition ended in 2018.{{cite web

|title=Bastille Day 2018: The Farewell Tour

|date=7 June 2018

|url=http://www.easternstate.org/press-room/press-releases/bastille-day-2018-farewell-tour

|publisher= Eastern State Penitentiary

|access-date= 29 July 2020

}}) In Newport, Rhode Island, the annual Bastille Day celebration is organized by the local chapter of the Alliance Française. It takes place at King Park in Newport at the monument memorializing the accomplishments of the General Comte de Rochambeau whose 6,000 to 7,000 French forces landed in Newport on 11 July 1780. Their assistance in the defeat of the English in the War of Independence is well documented and is proof of the special relationship between France and the United States.{{Cite web |title=Milestones: 1776–1783 - Office of the Historian |url=https://history.state.gov/milestones/1776-1783/french-alliance#:~:text=Between%201778%20and%201782%20the,protected%20Washington%27s%20forces%20in%20Virginia. |access-date=2023-07-15 |website=history.state.gov}} In Washington D.C., food, music, and auction events are sponsored by the Embassy of France. There is also a French Festival within the city, where families can meet period entertainment groups set during the time of the French Revolution. Restaurants host parties serving traditional French food.

;Southern States

In Dallas, Texas, the Bastille Day celebration, "Bastille On Bishop", began in 2010 and is held annually in the Bishop Arts District of the North Oak Cliff neighborhood, southwest of downtown just across the Trinity River. Dallas' French roots are tied to the short lived socialist Utopian community La Réunion, formed in 1855 and incorporated into the City of Dallas in 1860.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bastilleonbishop.com/|title=Bastille on Bishop|publisher=Go Oak Cliff|language=en|access-date=13 July 2018|archive-date=11 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111215418/http://bastilleonbishop.com/|url-status=dead}} Miami's celebration is organized by "French & Famous" in partnership with the French American Chamber of Commerce, the Union des Français de l'Etranger and many French brands. The event gathers over 1,000 attendees to celebrate "La Fête Nationale". The location and theme change every year. In 2017, the theme was "Guinguette Party" and attracted 1,200 francophiles at The River Yacht Club.{{Cite news|url=http://courrierdefloride.com/2017/06/26/bastille-day-party-french-famous-14-juillet-miami-beach/|title=Le 14 juillet à Miami : Bastille Day Party de "French & Famous" !|date=26 June 2017|work=Le Courrier de Floride|access-date=13 July 2018|language=fr-FR}} New Orleans, Louisiana, has multiple celebrations, the largest in the historic French Quarter.{{cite web|url=http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2009/07/only_in_new_orleans_watch_loca.html|title=Only in New Orleans: Watch locals celebrate Bastille Day in the French Quarter|last=Carr|first=Martha|date=13 July 2009|work=The Times-Picayune|access-date=27 July 2011}} In Austin, Texas, the Alliance Française d’Austin usually conducts a family-friendly Bastille Day party at the French Legation, the home of the French representative to the Republic of Texas from 1841 to 1845.{{Cite web |last= |title=Alliance Française d'Austin presents Bastille Day Party - CultureMap Austin |url=https://do512.com/bastilledayparty |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150713013220/https://do512.com/bastilledayparty |archive-date=13 July 2015 |access-date=2023-07-15 |website=austin.culturemap.com |language=en}}

; Midwestern States

Chicago, Illinois, has hosted a variety of Bastille Day celebrations in a number of locations in the city, including Navy Pier and Oz Park. The recent incarnations have been sponsored in part by the Chicago branch of the French-American Chamber of Commerce and by the French Consulate-General in Chicago.{{Cite web |url=https://www.bastilledaychicago.org/ |title=Bastille Day Chicago |publisher=Consulate General of France |language=en |access-date=13 July 2018 }} Milwaukee's four-day street festival begins with a "Storming of the Bastille" with a 43-foot replica of the Eiffel Tower.{{cite web|url=http://www.easttown.com/categories/4-bastilledays|title=Bastille Days | Milwaukee, WI|date=12 July 2014|publisher=East Town Association|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110226195450/http://easttown.com/categories/4-bastilledays|archive-date=26 February 2011|url-status = dead|access-date=23 July 2014}} Minneapolis, Minnesota, has a celebration with wine, French food, pastries, a flea market, circus performers and bands. Also in the Twin Cities area, the local chapter of the Alliance Française has hosted an annual event for years at varying locations with a competition for the "Best Baguette of the Twin Cities."{{cite web|url=http://www.yelp.com/events/minneapolis-2009-bastille-day-celebration-alliance-fran%C3%A7aise|title=2009 Bastille Day Celebration – Alliance Française, Minneapolis|date=11 July 2009|website=Yelp|access-date=18 July 2014}}{{cite web|url=http://www.consulfrance-chicago.org/IMG/html/FMEX/FMEX06-11/FeteNationale2011.htm#MINNESOTA|title=Bastille Day celebrations, 2011|date=14 July 2011|website=Consulat Général de France à Chicago|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131030101428/http://www.consulfrance-chicago.org/IMG/html/FMEX/FMEX06-11/FeteNationale2011.htm|archive-date=30 October 2013|url-status = dead|access-date=18 July 2014}} Montgomery, Ohio, has a celebration with wine, beer, local restaurants' fare, pastries, games and bands.{{Cite web|url=https://www.montgomeryohio.org/bastille-day-celebration/|title=Bastille Day Celebration!|date=31 May 2018|website=City of Montgomery, Ohio|language=en-US|access-date=13 July 2018|archive-date=10 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160410184954/http://www.montgomeryohio.org/bastille-day-celebration/|url-status=dead}} St. Louis, Missouri, has annual festivals in the Soulard neighborhood, the former French village of Carondelet, Missouri, and in the Benton Park neighborhood. The Chatillon-DeMenil Mansion in the Benton Park neighborhood, holds an annual Bastille Day festival with reenactments of the beheading of Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI, traditional dancing, and artillery demonstrations. Carondelet also began hosting an annual saloon crawl to celebrate Bastille Day in 2017.{{Cite web|url=http://www.demenil.org/bastille-day-history/|title=Bastille Day|website=Chatillon-DeMenil Mansion|language=en-US|access-date=13 July 2018}} The Soulard neighborhood in St. Louis, Missouri celebrates its unique French heritage with special events including a parade, which honors the peasants who rejected the monarchy. The parade includes a 'gathering of the mob,' a walking and golf cart parade, and a mock beheading of the King and Queen.{{Cite web|url=http://historicsoulard.com/bastille-weekend-2021/|title=Bastille Weekend 2021|date=19 July 2021|website=Soulard Business Association|language=en-US|access-date=19 July 2021}}

; Western States

Portland, Oregon, has celebrated Bastille Day with crowds up to 8,000, in public festivals at various public parks, since 2001. The event is coordinated by the Alliance Française of Portland.{{Cite web|url=https://www.afportland.org/2018/07/bastille-day-july-14-at-jamison-square/|title=Bastille Day July 14 at Jamison Square|publisher=Alliance Française de Portland|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180713205348/https://www.afportland.org/2018/07/bastille-day-july-14-at-jamison-square/|archive-date=13 July 2018|url-status = dead|access-date=13 July 2018}} Seattle's Bastille Day celebration, held at the Seattle Center, involves performances, picnics, wine and shopping.{{Cite web|url=http://afseattle.org/events/2018/07/bastille-day-celebration/|website=Alliance Française de Seattle|publisher=Bastille Day celebration|language=en-US|access-date=13 July 2018|title=Bastille Day celebration – Alliance Française de Seattle|archive-date=14 January 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200114093449/https://afseattle.org/events/2018/07/bastille-day-celebration/|url-status=dead}} Sacramento, California, conducts annual "waiter races" in the midtown restaurant and shopping district, with a street festival.{{Cite web|url=https://sacramentobastilleday.com/|title=Waiters' Race & Street Festival|website=Sacramento Bastille Day|language=en-US|access-date=13 July 2018}}

One-time celebrations

File:Bastille Day, 14 July 1880 (Monument to the Republic) 2010-03-23 02.jpg

1979: A concert with Jean-Michel Jarre on the Place de la Concorde in Paris was the first concert to have one million attendees.{{Cite magazine |last=Yelton |first=Geary |date=10 April 2017 |title=On Tour with Jean-Michel Jarre |url=https://www.keyboardmag.com/artists/on-tour-with-jean-michel-jarre |magazine=Keyboard |language=en-us |access-date=12 July 2018 }}
1989: France celebrated the 200th anniversary of the French Revolution, notably with a monumental show on the Champs-Élysées in Paris, directed by French designer Jean-Paul Goude. President François Mitterrand acted as a host for invited world leaders.{{Cite news |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1989/07/15/french-shoot-the-works-with-soaring-bicentennial-french/ |title=French Shoot The Works With Soaring Bicentennial French |last=Longworth |first=R.C. |date=15 July 1989 |work=Chicago Tribune |access-date=12 July 2018 |language=en }}
1990: A concert with Jarre was held at La Défense near Paris.{{Cite web|url=https://jeanmicheljarre.com/live/paris-la-defense|title=Paris La Défense – Jean-Michel Jarre {{!}} Official Site|website=jeanmicheljarre.com|language=en-US|access-date=3 February 2018 }}
1994: The military parade was opened by Eurocorps, a newly created European army unit including German soldiers. This was the first time German troops paraded in France since 1944, as a symbol of Franco-German reconciliation.{{Cite news|last=Kraft|first=Scott|date=15 July 1994|title=German Troops Join Bastille Day Parade in Paris|language=en-US|work=Los Angeles Times|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-07-15-mn-15833-story.html#:~:text=German%20soldiers%20paraded%20down%20the,of%20French%20and%20German%20reconciliation.|access-date=12 July 2018|issn=0458-3035}}
1995: A concert with Jarre was held at the Eiffel Tower in Paris.{{Cite web|url=https://jeanmicheljarre.com/live/concert-for-tolerance|title=Concert For Tolerance |website=Jean-Michel Jarre Official Site|language=en-US|access-date=3 February 2018 }}
1998: Two days after the French football team became World Cup champions, huge celebrations took place nationwide.{{Cite news |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/soccer/france-1998-the-giddiness-and-glory-of-the-greatest-fifa-world-cup-ever-played/article19063894/ |title=World Cup: Remembering the giddiness and glory of France '98 |last=Young |first=Chris |date=8 June 2014 |work=The Globe and Mail |access-date=12 July 2018 }}
2004: To commemorate the centenary of the Entente Cordiale, the British led the military parade with the Red Arrows flying overhead.{{Cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/1467100/Best-of-British-lead-the-way-in-parade-for-Bastille-Day.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/1467100/Best-of-British-lead-the-way-in-parade-for-Bastille-Day.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Best of British lead the way in parade for Bastille Day |last=Broughton |first=Philip Delves |date=14 July 2004 |work=The Telegraph |access-date=12 July 2018 |language=en-GB |issn=0307-1235 }}{{cbignore}}
2007: To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome, the military parade was led by troops from the 26 other EU member states, all marching at the French time.{{Cite web |url=https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/coming-to-france/france-facts/symbols-of-the-republic/article/the-14th-of-july-bastille-day |title=The 14th of July : Bastille Day |website=French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs |language=en-EN |access-date=12 July 2018 }}
2014: To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of the First World War, representatives of 80 countries who fought during this conflict were invited to the ceremony. The military parade was opened by 76 flags representing each of these countries.{{Cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picturegalleries/worldnews/10966218/Bastille-Day-in-pictures-Soldiers-from-76-countries-march-down-Champs-Elysees.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picturegalleries/worldnews/10966218/Bastille-Day-in-pictures-Soldiers-from-76-countries-march-down-Champs-Elysees.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Bastille Day in pictures: Soldiers from 76 countries march down Champs-Elysees |date=14 July 2014 |work=The Telegraph |access-date=12 July 2018 |language=en-GB |issn=0307-1235 }}{{cbignore}}
2017: To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the United States of America's entry into the First World War, president of France Emmanuel Macron invited U.S. president Donald Trump to celebrate a centuries-long transatlantic tie between the two countries.{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/27/world/europe/emmanuel-macron-trump-bastille-day-syria-chemical-weapons.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220101/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/27/world/europe/emmanuel-macron-trump-bastille-day-syria-chemical-weapons.html |archive-date=2022-01-01 |url-access=limited |title=Macron Invites Trump to Paris for Bastille Day |last=Breeden |first=Aurelien |date=27 June 2017 |work=The New York Times |access-date=12 July 2018 |language=en }}{{cbignore}} Trump was reported to have admired the display, and pushed for the United States to "top it" with a proposed military parade on 10 November 2018 (the eve of the Armistice Day centenary).{{Cite web|title=No Military Parade For Trump In D.C. This Year; Pentagon Looking At Dates In 2019|url=https://www.npr.org/2018/08/16/639435987/no-veterans-day-military-parade-this-year-dod-looking-at-dates-in-2019|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190703190813/https://www.npr.org/2018/08/16/639435987/no-veterans-day-military-parade-this-year-dod-looking-at-dates-in-2019|archive-date=2019-07-03|access-date=2019-07-03|website=NPR.org|date=16 August 2018 |language=en|last1=Campbell |first1=Barbara |last2=Chappell |first2=Bill }}{{cite news|author=Juliet Eilperin, Josh Dawsey and Dan Lamothe|date=1 July 2019|title=Trump asks for tanks, Marine One and much more for grandiose July Fourth event|newspaper=The Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/trump-asks-for-military-tanks-on-the-mall-as-part-of-grandiose-july-fourth-event/2019/07/01/e9d274ee-9adc-11e9-8d0a-5edd7e2025b1_story.html?noredirect=on|url-status=live|access-date=4 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190701210441/https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/trump-asks-for-military-tanks-on-the-mall-as-part-of-grandiose-july-fourth-event/2019/07/01/e9d274ee-9adc-11e9-8d0a-5edd7e2025b1_story.html?noredirect=on|archive-date=1 July 2019|quote=Trump has been fixated since early in his term on putting on a military-heavy parade or other celebration modeled on France's Bastille Day celebration, which he attended in Paris in 2017.}}

Incidents during Bastille Day

In 2002, Maxime Brunerie attempted to shoot French President Jacques Chirac during the Champs-Élysées parade.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/15/world/chirac-unhurt-as-man-shoots-at-him-in-paris.html|title=Chirac Unhurt As Man Shoots At Him in Paris|last=Riding|first=Alan|date=15 July 2002|work=The New York Times|access-date=3 February 2018|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}
In 2009, Paris youths set fire to more than 300 cars on Bastille Day.{{cite news |date=14 July 2009 |title=French youths burn 300 cars to mark Bastille Day |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/5824629/French-youths-burn-300-cars-to-mark-Bastille-Day.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/5824629/French-youths-burn-300-cars-to-mark-Bastille-Day.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |newspaper=The Telegraph |access-date=15 July 2016}}{{cbignore}}
In 2016, Tunisian terrorist Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel drove a truck into crowds during celebrations in the city of Nice. 86 people were killed and 434 injured along the Promenade des Anglais,{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-36800730 |title=Lorry attacks people on Bastile Day Celebrations |work=BBC News |date=14 July 2016 |access-date=14 July 2016}} before the attacker was killed in a shootout with police.{{cite news |title=Nice attack: Lorry driver confirmed as Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-36808020 |access-date=17 July 2021 |work=BBC News |date=15 July 2016}}

References

External links

{{Commons category-inline|Bastille Day}}
{{wikiquotelang|fr|Fête nationale française}}
[https://web.archive.org/web/20130329041343/http://www.france.fr/en/celebrations-and-festivals/bastille-day-%E2%80%93-14th-july 14 July] – Official French website (in English)

Category:Culture of the French Revolution

Category:July observances

Category:Parades in France

Day

Category:National days

Category:Culture of France

Category:Recurring events established in 1880

Category:1880 establishments in France

Category:Public holidays in France

Category:Summer in France