This year's Bastille Day celebrations incorporate the Olympic torch relay en route to the opening of the upcoming Summer Games, with about 4,000 people, 162 horses and a formation of fighter planes overhead, as well as a tribute to those who helped liberate France from Nazi occupation during the landings 80 years ago.
Just 12 days before the French capital hosts the special summer Olympics with high security, the torch relay was joined by thousands of soldiers, sailors, rescue workers and medics parading in Paris as fighter jets flew overhead to commemorate the storming of the Bastille.
Olympic torch relay combined with Bastille Day parade
The Olympic flame arrived in Paris and made its first appearance at the traditional annual parade. The torch relay then took place around the French capital from the Champs-Elysees. Former Premier League great Thierry Henry was given the honor of carrying the torch on the first leg of the most famous avenue in Paris. The torch then headed to landmarks such as the National Assembly and Notre Dame Cathedral.
Legend Thierry Henry carried the Olympic torch through Paris
The sacred ritual of this sporting event
President Emmanuel Macron kicked off Sunday's events with a military parade, followed by a performance of the French national anthem, the Marseillaise. The number of troops was scaled back from previous years due to Olympic security measures. About 130,000 police officers were deployed across France for the holiday weekend.
The finale of the parade was marked by the delegations supporting the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics. Immediately after a series of sports-themed drawings, 100 young soldiers formed the Olympic rings before giving way to Colonel Thibault Vallette, a gold medalist at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, to carry the Olympic flame to the Presidential Pavilion.
The grandeur of the 2024 Olympics
This year, France's National Day takes place in the context of the country having just gone through early parliamentary elections on July 7. This may be the last time the French people will see President Emmanuel Macron appear with incumbent Prime Minister Gabriel Attal at a celebration before the new government is formed.
The Games were designed to take place at venues in the heart of the City of Light, with temporary stadiums built at popular tourist spots such as the Eiffel Tower, Invalides and Place de la Concorde.
Organisers say using the capital's famous streets and the Seine as a backdrop will ensure an "iconic" Games, but it will also block off large areas of the centre and cause traffic congestion.
Normally, the parade would make its way from the Napoleonic Arc de Triomphe to the Place de la Concorde, where the last king and queen of France were executed. This year, Concorde has been transformed into a major Olympic venue for breakdancing, skateboarding and BMX, so the parade route heads to the Bois de Boulogne park on the edge of the city.
