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This year's Bastille Day celebrations combined the Olympic torch relay en route to the opening of the upcoming Summer Olympics, featuring around 4,000 people, 162 horses, and a formation of fighter planes overhead, as well as paying tribute to those who helped liberate France from Nazi occupation during the landings 80 years ago.
Just 12 days before the French capital hosted the highly secure Summer Olympics, the torch relay was combined with a parade of thousands of soldiers, sailors, rescue workers, and medical personnel in Paris as fighter jets performed aerial displays to commemorate the storming of the Bastille.
The Olympic torch relay was combined with a parade commemorating Bastille Day.
The Olympic flame has arrived in Paris and made its first appearance in the traditional annual parade. The torch relay then took place around the French capital, starting from the Champs-Elysees. Former Premier League legend Thierry Henry had the honor of carrying the torch for the first leg of the journey along the city's most famous avenue. The torch then proceeded to landmarks such as the Parliament building and Notre Dame Cathedral.
Legendary Thierry Henry carried the Olympic torch through Paris.
The sacred rituals of this sporting event
President Emmanuel Macron kicked off Sunday's events with a parade, followed by a performance of the French national anthem, the Marseillaise. The numbers were smaller than in previous years due to Olympic security measures. Around 130,000 police officers were deployed across France for the weekend.
The final part of the parade was marked by delegations promoting the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics. Following a series of sporting-themed paintings, 100 young soldiers formed the Olympic rings before making way for Colonel Thibault Vallette, a gold medalist at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, who carried the Olympic flame to the Presidential Pavilion.
The grandeur comes from the 2024 Olympic Games.
This year, France's National Day coincides with the country's snap parliamentary elections on July 7th. This may be the last time the French people will see President Emmanuel Macron and current Prime Minister Gabriel Attal together at a celebration before the new government is formed.
The Games were designed to take place in venues in the heart of the City of Lights, with temporary stadiums built at popular tourist spots such as the Eiffel Tower, the Invalides, and Place de la Concorde.
Organizers said using the capital's famous streets and the Seine River as a backdrop would ensure the Games were "iconic," but this also led to lockdowns in many central areas and caused traffic congestion.
Normally, the parade would go from the Napoleonic Arc de Triomphe to Concorde Square, where the last king and queen of France were executed. This year, Concorde has been transformed into a major Olympic venue for breakdance, skateboarding, and BMX. Therefore, the parade route is heading towards the Bois de Boulogne park on the outskirts of the city.
