- Paris is hosting a Bastille Day celebration, featuring troops and warplanes from across Europe, specifically designed to showcase unwavering support for Ukraine and highlight the continent's collective military strength.
- The annual celebration is observed on 14 July, commemorating the storming of the Bastille fortress and prison in 1789, a pivotal event that ignited the French Revolution. This revolutionary act ultimately led to the overthrow of the monarchy and the execution of King Louis XVI and Queen Marie-Antoinette.
- Today, the date is central to the French calendar, a day for national pride and celebration. Presidents use it to highlight France’s accomplishments, while mayors host village festivals and families gather for holiday meals.
- The centrepiece is the grand Paris parade, marching beneath the Napoleon-era Arc de Triomphe and along the Champs-Élysées – a spectacle that inspired Trump to stage his own parade last year.
- Raging forest fires and a red-alert heatwave across France have led to the cancellation of traditional fireworks and firefighters' balls in some regions, though the Eiffel Tower's fireworks and drone show proceeded.
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