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Why won’t the fireworks on July 14th take place on July 14th this year?

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The Editor

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In a month, we will celebrate a new edition of the National Day, to the delight of patriots and especially those who love holidays (hooray for long weekends!). This year, however, there’s a little twist: the traditional fireworks at the Eiffel Tower won’t take place on the usual date.

At the end of May, the mayor of Paris, Emmanuel Grégoire, made a very special announcement. For once, in 2026, the traditional Bastille Day fireworks will not be held on July 14th, but on July 13th. This surprising decision has a straightforward explanation and carries a strong and symbolic message from the city's leader. Let us explain.


A National Tribute

While July 14, 2026, will be the 236th celebration of the National Day — established in 1790 and not in 1789 as many believe — it will also mark a much darker date: the 10th anniversary of the Nice attacks. Just a reminder, in 2016, a truck drove into the crowd gathered on the promenade des Anglais, resulting in 86 deaths (including 15 minors) and 458 injured. It was a traumatic event for thousands of people, and the mayor of Paris intends to give it full recognition.

the place it deserves. For this reason, the traditional fireworks display at the Eiffel Tower will therefore take place the day before, in order to honor the planned commemorations for the occasion. On its side, the national parade on the Champs-Élysées will indeed be held on the morning of July 14, in the presence of the President of the Republic and all the government bigwigs.


An Exceptional Evening

If the celebrations will be moved up by 24 hours, no need to worry, they won't lose any of their splendor! Starting at 11 PM, and for a glorious 35 minutes, the Parisian sky will transform into a work of art, thanks to fireworks of all colors and sizes. A fantastic show, a true musical and sound performance, the official theme of which has yet to be revealed, but it should pay tribute to the ties between Paris and Rome (the one and only twin city of the capital, which we are celebrating its 70th anniversary this year), and also celebrate the 400th anniversary of the French Navy. So mark your calendars for July 13, for a colorful evening, and July 14 for a national tribute — and, more trivially, maybe

Le feu d’artifice du 14 juillet de la Tour Eiffel 🎆 pic.twitter.com/nAkVfduocH

— Views (@viewsfrance) July 15, 2022