Bastille Day
July Paris celebrates
Bastille Day is France's national holiday, celebrated on July 14th.
It commemorates the 1789 storming of the Bastille, a royal fortress and prison in Paris, an event that sparked the French Revolution.
The day features military parades, fireworks, and public celebrations throughout France: We watched the fireworks on Bastille Day in Paris.
France's chief city
- FranceWestern European republic
- tricolorThree-hued emblem
- MarseillaiseFrance's official anthem
- Champs-ÉlyséesIconic Parisian boulevard
Eiffel Tower · Arc de Triomphe · francophone · Gallic · Provence · beret
Explosive light displays
- paradeCeremonial public procession
- festivalOrganized public celebration
- fêteCelebratory outdoor gathering
- picnicOutdoor casual meal
concert · banquet · gala · fanfare · procession · garden party · street dance · military parade
Attacking with force
- guillotineVertical beheading apparatus
- 1789Late eighteenth century
- ancien régimeReplaced system of governance
- sans-culottesRevolutionary French working-class radicals
Robespierre · Jacobin · insurrection · uprising · overthrow · revolt · rebellion · liberation
Recurring memorial date
- national holidayOfficial day of observance
- remembranceAct of holding something in mind
- observanceKeeping of customs
- traditionCustom passed through generations
founding · republic · heritage · national identity · public holiday · patriotism · unity · pride
Absence of constraint
- emancipationRelease from legal bondage
- rightsJustified claims to freedoms
- democracyRule by the people
- sovereigntySupreme independent authority
republicanism · self-determination · human rights · citizenship · civil liberties · enfranchisement · dignity · autonomy
Paris
France's chief city
- FranceWestern European republic
- tricolorThree-hued emblem
- MarseillaiseFrance's official anthem
Champs-Élysées · Eiffel Tower · Arc de Triomphe · francophone · Gallic · Provence · beret
fireworks
Explosive light displays
- paradeCeremonial public procession
- festivalOrganized public celebration
- fêteCelebratory outdoor gathering
picnic · concert · banquet · gala · fanfare · procession · garden party · street dance · military parade · flyover
storming
Attacking with force
- guillotineVertical beheading apparatus
- 1789Late eighteenth century
- ancien régimeReplaced system of governance
sans-culottes · Robespierre · Jacobin · insurrection · uprising · overthrow · revolt · rebellion · liberation · prisoners
anniversary
Recurring memorial date
- national holidayOfficial day of observance
- remembranceAct of holding something in mind
- observanceKeeping of customs
tradition · founding · republic · heritage · national identity · public holiday · patriotism · unity · pride · symbols
freedom
Absence of constraint
- emancipationRelease from legal bondage
- rightsJustified claims to freedoms
- democracyRule by the people
sovereignty · republicanism · self-determination · human rights · citizenship · civil liberties · enfranchisement · dignity · autonomy · equality
- National HolidaysIndependence Day, national holiday, national day, Republic Day, Fourth of July
- French EventsTour de France, Cannes Film Festival, French Open, Roland Garros, Paris Fashion Week
- celebrationsgraduation, festival, party, wedding, fireworks
- festivalsfestival, festivals, carnival, carnivals, Carnival
- traditionstradition, custom, customs, cultural practices, rituals
- holidaysChristmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, Halloween, Valentine's Day
Bastille DayQueen's Birthday
Holiday for the monarch
Coronation Day · Independence Day · Fourth of July · Guy Fawkes Night · Victoria Day
Bastille Daycoronation
Ceremony installing a sovereign
Bourbon Restoration · Ancien Régime · Versailles · divine right of kings
Bastille Dayimprisonment
Legal detention in jail
tyranny · dungeon · oppression · absolute monarchy · Reign of Terror