Anyone ever attend the Bastille Day Military Parade (Défilé militaire du 14 Juillet)? We love a good parade and this one seems like the grand-daddy of them all. Is it as good as I imagine it is? Any tips on how to have the best experience?
Posted by
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
8293 posts
Guess it's a bit too late now for advice!
Posted by
San Francisco/Marin County
9436 posts
We watched the Bastille Day Parade on the Champs Elysee in 2001, and I wouldn't do it again. It was nothing but military vehicles spewing exhaust which we had to breathe. It was boring. Maybe other years are different and better. We had no problem finding a place on the street to watch, close to the Arc de Triomphe, it wasn't packed like the Tour de France.
Posted by
Des Moines, IA
2193 posts
It might be cool for a short time, but it's very crowded. The year we were there on Bastille Day, we opted to just watch some of it on TV as we were getting ready for the day. We did catch a live glimpse (and you couldn't miss the roar of the engines) of the fighter jets in formation. I have to admit that it was a bit unimpressive seeing Jacques Chirac in a military vehicle. Had a picnic around lunchtime in Champ de Mars...that was great. The fireworks there that night were the best I have ever experienced...pretty cool and went on forever. I could have done without the drunk Scotchman and his newly-found French (old drunk guy) friend. They somehow communicated with one another enough to keep on getting more and more drunk. As soon as he heard our English, it was hard shaking him...tried making us his new friends (but it didn't work & we finally did shake the dude). Anyway, too late for this year now.
Posted by
Windsor, Ontario, Canada
4087 posts
The night before the national holiday, local fire halls stage big street parties. Since you have a whole year you should be able to Google out the details on these soirees. Include the name Kerouac for a poster to other boards who has written about and photographed the parties.