Vive La France! Top 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Bastille Day

The formal name of France’s Bastille Day is actually La Fête Nationale (The National Celebration) and celebrates the storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789. Similar to America’s Fourth of July, this French holiday—which cleverly comes around every July 14—marks the beginning of France's independence from monarchy ... rule.



Bastille Day didn’t become an official national holiday until a government vote made it so in 1880. Government officials encouraged all French citizens to celebrate the day with all the brilliance their local resources could allow.


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The Bastille was part fortress-prison and part symbol. While only seven prisoners were held at the Bastille on the day it was stormed by French citizens, the defiant act serves as the launching point of the French Revolution and was a predecessor to a festival that eventually turned into Bastille Day.

As the French celebrated the one-year anniversary of the Storming of the Bastille, they threw a massive feast on the outskirts of Paris. Volunteers constructed a stage to host a large mass and the program, which drew from all walks of life. The day united church and state and became a festival tradition throughout France.

Because the National Guard was invited to the feasts on July 14, 1790, Bastille Day represents the oldest and largest European military parade to this day. Held on the morning of July 14 in Paris, the official parade started in 1880 and has been hosted on the Champs-Élysées since 1918—except during a stint of German ... occupation—ever since.


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Before storming the Bastille, some revolutionaries wore a small blue and red cockade—knot or ribbons woven together—as a means of recognition. Once the king admitted his defeat on July 17, 1789, Lafayette gave him a blue, red and white cockade to wear when addressing a group of revolutionaries, adding the color of the ... monarchy (white) to the colors of Paris (blue and red). The color scheme became the official flag in 1794.


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That soft, red cap you often see on French Revolutionaries serves as their “liberty cap,” a symbol of those leading the revolution. French citizens started wearing the Phrygian cap to show their allegiance, so break one out on July 14 and toss some history around with it.

Largely due to the massive fires that transpired during the Storming of the Bastille, Bastille Day tradition has fireworks front and center. This year, expect the Eiffel Tower to enjoy illumination as tourists and French flock to high points around the city to catch a glimpse of the celebration.

The Bal du 14 Juillet is held on the eve of Bastille Day at the Place de la Bastille, where the prison once stood. The themed event changes from year to year and features festive costumes and live music.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy actually ignored two long-standing Bastille Day traditions in 2007. First, he failed to pardon petty offenders on July 14, which had been common practice, and he also neglected to give a quasi-State of France report to the media, also a tradition. Although, don’t fret, he still holds a garden ... party at the Palais de l’Élysée.


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Bastille Day means the firemen of France get to party too, opening the fire stations to the public both on July 13 and July 14. As seen in the photo above, fire departments from around the world travel to Paris for the event. Some fire stations even host live music and ball-like celebrations on the evening of July 13. And oh, ... expect some dancing.



Tim Newcomb is a contributor for TIME. Find him on Twitter at @tdnewcomb. You can also continue the discussion on TIME’s Facebook page and on Twitter at @TIME.
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