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July 14th or as the French call it 14 Julliet is Bastille Day in France. While most people associate the holiday with the storming of the Bastille, it really celebrates the Fete de la Federation, a feast that marked the end of the French Revolution. Being one of the most important holidays the country is filled with celebrations and festivities that start on the night of July 13th and continue through July 14th. The largest celebrations take place on the Champs-Elysees avenue in Paris, with the French President in attendance.

The main celebration begins with a parade of school age cadets, followed by the French Infantry, mechanized units, and then French Air Force. In recent years the parade has even allowed several French allies to participate as well, including the British Royal Marines and Red Arrows the special acrobatic squadron of the Royal Air Force. The parade always ends with the French Fire Brigade. The festivities always coincide with the Tour De France, so French riders try to make concerted effort to be wearing the coveted yellow jersey on that day. When the sun sets everyone makes there way to Champ-de-Mars to watch the fireworks from Trocadero. The legendary Eiffel Tower serves as a backdrop to fireworks show.

Most of the main events during the day are free, local restaurants and bars are on hand with extra food and drink for the multi day festival. With celebrations so large and spread out it would impossible to see everything, however here are some noteworthy events this year:

This entry was posted on Friday, July 13th, 2007 and is filed under Europe.