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BASTILLE

IN PICTURES: Paris wows the world with Bastille Day parade

Few military pageants worldwide rival France's Bastille Day parade. Here are 22 pictures of this year's show.

Published: 14 July 2019 14:39 CEST
IN PICTURES: Paris wows the world with Bastille Day parade
The parade showcased the best of the French and European armed forces. Photo: Ludovic Marin / POOL / AFP
The day began with troops, tanks and assault vehicles lining up in preparation by the Arc de Triomphe. 

Philippe Lopez / AFP

Ludovic Marin/AFP

Ludovic Marin/AFP

Members of the French Republican Guard (Garde Republicaine) expertly kept their horses under control as they waited for the parade to begin. 

Phillipe Lopez/AFP

French President Emmanuel Macron then joined French Armies Chief Staff General Francois Lecointre in an Acmat VLRA vehicle as the two reviewed the troops before the start of the Bastille Day military parade. 
 

Ludovic Marin/Pool/AFP
 
French Mounted Republican guards were among the first soldiers to parade down the Champs-Elysées avenue.

Lionel Bonaventure/AFP

German chancellor Angela Merkel, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, French President Emmanuel Macron and other heads of state watched an infantry exercise from seats on the side of Champs Elysées. 

Lionel Bonaventure/AFP

Zapata CEO Franky Zapata flew a jet-powered hoverboard or “Flyboard” prior to the Bastille Day military parade down the Champs-Elysées avenue in Paris. 
 

Lionel Bonaventure/AFP
 
Portuguese and Dutch soldiers took part in the parade, as did the armed forces of several other nations. 
 

Alain Jocard/AFP

French President Emmanuel Macron greeted German Chancellor Angela Merkel after surveying the troops. 

Kamil Zihnioglu / POOL / AFP

France's elite acrobatic flying team “Patrouille de France” (PAF) performed a flying display over Paris during the parade. 
 

Lionel Bonaventure/AFP
 
Photo: Local reader @Clickchiyaaon
 
The French Foreign Legion's ceremonial Pioneers were an eye-catching sight with their traditional buffalo leather aprons and full beards and polished axes. 
 

 
Two yellow vest protesters, both women, were surrounded and escorted from the site of the parade by French gendarmes. 

Phillipe Lopez/AFP

The mounted Republican Guards, with their sabres and ceremonial uniform, were popular with spectators.  
 

Alain Jocard/AFP

A French Char Leclerc tank took part in the parade. 

Ludovic Marin/AFP

A drone mounted on the back of a pick-up. 

Ludovic Marin/AFP

Members of the civic service and the universal national service SNU (Service National Universel) held a giant French flag. 
 

Ludovic Marin/AFP

Armoured cars trundled down the Champs Elysées. 
 

Lionel Bonaventure/AFP

More pictures of the Pioneers. 

Lionel Bonaventure/AFP

A French Airbus A330 Phenix flew over the parade, followed by two French Mirage 2000-5 airplanes and four French Rafale airplanes. 
 
Zakaria Abdelkafi/AFP
 
And in a reminder of the continuing importance of France's military alliance with Britain, a CH47 Chinook helicopter also flew over the parade. 

Zakaria Abdelkafi/AFP

After the parade was complete, a beaming Emmanuel Macron waved to the crowd before he was driven away. 

Ludovic Marin/ POOL/AFP

Photo: Local reader @Clickchiyaaon

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BASTILLE

VIDEO: Watch France’s spectacular Bastille Day fireworks

France celebrated its fête nationale with the usual spectaclar fireworks display over the Eiffel Tower - but due to health restrictions there were no crowds this year.

Published: 15 July 2020 09:39 CEST
VIDEO: Watch France's spectacular Bastille Day fireworks
Photo: AFP

Normally thousands of people flock to central Paris to watch the concert on the Champs de Mars and the fireworks over the tower which round off the July 14th celebrations.

However due to the health crisis, there was no spectator space this year and instead the fireworks and concert were relayed on TV.

That didn't mean the display was any less ambitious than usual, though, and also included a tribute to the 'everyday heroes' who kept the country going throughout the pandemic and lockdown.

Here are some of the highlights.

 

 

 

Those lucky enough to have a balcony with a view of the Tower watched from their homes.

 

While others watched from vantage points in the city including the Montparnasse Tower and the Ecole militaire.

 

Others went to the bridges over the Seine to get a good view.

 

 

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