Bastille Day in Paris

It is called Fete Nationale in France. Great fireworks. Parade. all the arrondissements have fireman's balls, some of which are just street parties you can join in with your own drinks. (some the eve before). Museums are open and when we last did this the Louvre was free.

July 14, 2026, will be a Tuesday, which is a day when some museums are regularly closed anyway, such as the Louvre.

Some stores may be closed all day, others only in the afternoon, while some will remain open as usual. There is no blanket rule.

Due to the military parade on the Champs-Élysées, most metro stations around the area will be closed and access to the entire Champs-Élysées zone will be subject to security screenings. In the evening (after 10 p.m.), a traditional fireworks show takes place at the Eiffel Tower (as it does in many French cities). Expect massive crowds in the surrounding areas and closed metro stations.

Balls are hosted all over the place in the evening, notably inside fire stations.

As pointed out by janet, only English speakers refer to this day as "Bastille Day." In France we say "Fête Nationale" (National Holiday), or simply 14 Juillet.

I'll be there too!
10am Be at Champs
1045 flyover
11-12 parade

9pm concert Champs de Mars
11pm -1135 fireworks
jk

I will be there in Paris on the day, made a point of that in planning the trip. and out and about too. The collective feeling is great. Very interesting insight into the culture and all that.

If you don't know already they have changed the date of the fireworks to Monday, July 13th. The Eiffel Tower will be closed that day now to prepare (security etc.) for the fireworks show that night.

Just to add, on July 13th, before the Eiffel Tower fireworks show (which starts at 11 PM), there will be a symphony concert by the Orchestre National de France starting at 9 PM. It’s completely free.

Be aware that the Champ de Mars will likely already be packed by late afternoon.
The traditional Firefighters' Balls (bals des pompiers) take place at local firehouses on either July 13th or 14th.

Is there a map showing these firehouses?

There is no map, but here are the addresses listed by arrondissement: Fire station name (address)

• 1st:Rousseau (21, rue du Jour)

• 4th:Sévigné (7-9, rue de Sévigné)

• 6th:La Monnaie (11, quai de Conti) on the banks of the Seine - & Colombier (11, rue du Vieux Colombier)

• 9th:Blanche (28, rue Blanche)

• 12th:Chaligny (26 rue Chaligny)

• 13th:Port-Royal (53-55, boulevard Port-Royal) & Massena (37, boulevard Masséna) -

• 15th: Grenelle (6, Place Violet)

• 17th: Boursault (27, rue Boursault)

• 18th: Montmartre (12, rue Carpeaux)

• 19ème : Bitc-he (1 Quai de l'Oise)

• 20th: Menilmontant (47, rue Saint-Fargeau)

Thank you...that's great info!

Any recommendations on best place to see the fireworks on the 13th with the least hassle? Will be driving back that day from the Loire Valley and we are flying back to the US on the morning of the 15th and I haven't really finalized our plans yet for that time. Open to suggestions / guidance, will be traveling with my wife and 3 kids, our first time in France.

The Eiffel Tower fireworks display is best viewed from the Trocadero or the Champ de Mars.

As usual, tens of thousands of spectators are expected, so arrive in the late afternoon to get through security. Bring water and food (there are street vendors anyway).

Note that the metro stations in the area will be closed from 2 PM.

JoLui's reply above gives two locations at fire stations in the 13th.

For heyou: I hope you plan to arrive in Paris early. It's going to be a madhouse. You may wish to consider arriving on the 13th, as the crush for that day will be big.

All Bastille Day firefighters' balls in Paris have been cancelled due to the heatwave.

What do I need to know?

As JanetTravels44 points out, it is not called "Bastille Day" in France. That seems to be something only used in English speaking countries these days. The French usually call it "La Fête Nationale," or just as commonly, "Le quatorze juillet" (i.e., July 14th, as we in the U.S. commonly call our day of Independence simply "July 4th").

The World Cup semifinal between Spain and France kicks off on July 14th at 9:00 PM (Paris time). Expect a wild atmosphere, especially if France wins. If that happens, don't count on getting any peace and quiet that night.

This is probably not going to find people who are actually in Paris right now, but if you are, I just read that Champs du Mars will not open for you to start your picnic spread until 8 PM on the 13th for fireworks viewing because of the heat ( which is significantly later I think than it was)

I'm here, thanks. The concert was supposed to start at nine Is that still on?

Janet. Believe the time is now 9:45 for the concert

Press release from the Paris Police Prefecture:

• Regarding access to the Champ de Mars, the public opening time has been pushed back to 8:00 p.m. instead of the originally scheduled 4:00 p.m.

• In order to limit the public's exposure to the heat, it has been decided to delay the start of the concert by 45 minutes. Consequently, the concert will begin at 9:45 p.m. and will be followed by a fireworks display starting at 11:00 p.m.

People really love a chance to tell visitors that la Fête du 14 is not called Bastille day.

Let's remember that these people come here for our help. They are talking to anglophones mostly on an anglophone travel board. Cut them some slack. Most Americans call it "Bastille day." Yes, it's an American way to refer to it. I highly doubt these people will be in deep conversations en français and refer to it as la fête de la Bastille.

Heck, even I have stopped correcting people from calling Chartres "Shart."

Yes, a native French person got a little hand slap. LOL. But I don't think s.he cares, the term was just for the convenience of English-language readers. Eh bon, bonne fête. And allez-les bleus which is what most of us will be doing from 20:50h anyway le quatorze.