Paris Muse

The traditional military parade of July 14th will be held on the Champs Elysées in the 8th arrondissement. The troops will march starting at 9:00, from the Arc de Triomphe to Concorde.

After “Africa” in 2010, and “overseas” in 2011, the official theme of the parade will be “l’armée en mutation” (“changing the military”) and, for the first time, the peacetime soldiers and UN soldiers will participate in the military parade. Among the highlights of the show: the 70th Anniversary of the Battle of Bir Hakim, the 70th anniversary of the creation of three units of the Free French Air Forces (FAFL), the 70th anniversary of the creation of the signal corps with honors to eight signal regiments, and the 220th anniversary of the Marseillaise.

9:10: The troops take place on foot and on motorcycle at the Étoile/Champs-Élysées site.

9:20: Inspection of the troops by the general officers commanding the foot parades and motorcades.

9:45: The honour guards of the Garde Républicaine take place, Place de l’Étoile and Place de la Concorde.

10:00: Arrival of the President of the Republic, Avenue de Friedland. Welcome by Adm. Édouard Guillaud, French Armies Chief of Staff, and Army Corps General Bruneau Dary, Military Governor of Paris. Troops review.

10:20: Honours rendered to the President of the Republic, Place de la Concorde, by the First Infantry Regiment of the Garde Républicaine.

10:25: Opening event.

10:40: Opening flypast commanded by Aerial Division General Patrick Charaix, Deputy General of the National Territory, Commander of Air Defence and Air Operations.

10:45: Troops parade on foot commanded by Brig. General Denis Heck, Territorial Deputy General to the Military Governor of Paris.

11:15: Mounted troops parade. Motorcade commanded by Division General Martial de Braquilanges, Commander and Chief of Staff of Corps 3 of Marseille.

11:30: Closing helicopter flypast.

11:35: Closing event by the Paris Fire Brigade.

11:40: Departure of the President of the Republic.

(parade schedule via parisinfo.com, and is from 2011 – routes/times may alter for 2012)

Photo: flickr @irenetong

Bastille Day in France is a grandiose affair. Held on July 14 of each year, it’s officially known as La Fête Nationale, and more informally known as le quartorze juillet. It commemorates the storming of the Bastille prison on July 14, 1789. With this symbol of royal authority overthrown, revolutionary France was born. This date marks the beginning of the modern nation of France.

Revelry abounds on July 14, and it behooves one to plan ahead. The pyrotechnical displays from the jardins du Trocadéro and le Pont d’Iéna are hard to miss, but of course there are some better views than others. If you’re lucky enough to be able to view the Eiffel Tower from a hotel room or an apartment, you can avoid the crowds. If you are going to see the displays from one of the city’s many vantage points on the ground, get there early to save your spot. Also, avoid going by car or bus and opt for the metro or RER.

The show starts at 23:00 and lasts 30 minutes. This year’s musical theme is, “Les Comédies Musicales, de Broadway à Paris”

The best metro stations to attend the fireworks show in the center:

• Line 8: La Motte-Piquet
• Line 6: Dupleix, Cambronne
• Line 10: Emile Zola, La Motte-Piquet, Segur
• Line 13: St-François-Xavier, Varenne
• RER: Javel, Austerlitz and Invalides

The best spot for viewing the fireworks in this area is the Champ de Mars near the Eiffel Tower (the side of the river opposite the gardens of the Trocadero), as the Trocadero will be closed to the public. (click here to see area on Google maps)

Transportation information:

• Stations: Iena, Alma Marceau and La tour Maubourg will be closed on July 14 at 19:00 and will not reopen
• Traffic: The traffic around a wide perimeter of the Trocadero will be closed at 17:00
• Velib: The Velib stations located near Champ de Mars will be closed throughout the day on July 14

Bastille Day 2010

L'intégralité du feu d'artifice du 14 juillet 2010 par mairiedeparis

For those who want to delve deeper into the history of fireworks displays in Paris, head over the the city’s free historical museum, Musée Carnavalet. There is an exhibition there tracing the history of fireworks celebrations from the times of Louis XIV to Napoleon I. As with the rest of the museum, the exhibition is free. It is showing until September 25

For more events read on: Continue reading “Bastille Day: Where to go” »