Vivre Le Bastille

Its party time in gay Paris as this weekend over the 13th and 14th July as they mark the French National Day celebrations for Bastille Day.

Bastille day is celebrated all over France and was initially on 19th May 1789 when King Louis XVI marking the beginning of the end of the French Revolution.

The holiday involves all manner of celebrations including a military parade, hundreds of art events around the city and the pre-requisite fireworks of course.

They also involve some uniquely French celebrations in the form of a huge number of Firemens Balls, all over the city which will be free in most part but donation 'barrels' will be available to contribute to the continued support of their staff.

The fireworks are of course the mainstay of the Bastille Day event and can be seen from areas surrounding the Trocadero and the banks of the River Seine.

The massive fireworks display begins at 11:00pm and lasts around 35 minutes. The theme for the display is liberte egalite fraternite which translated is Liberty, Equality and Fraternity.

Whether you are French or not, this is a massive day in World History and we would like to wish all our French neighbours Happy Bastille Day.