Jets from the French Air and Space Force’s Patrouille de France trail blue, white and red smoke as they fly over the statues atop the entrance to the Tuileries Garden during the Bastille Day military parade in Paris Tuesday. Some areas had to cancel fireworks because of wildfires. Photo by Maya Vidon-White/UPI | License Photo
French President Emmanuel Macron presided over his final Bastille Day parade, playing host to several European guests, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelinsky.
The festivities happened during France’s third heat wave this summer and amid wildfires ravaging the country. Some areas had to cancel fireworks displays and other celebrations because of the fires, while temperatures were in the 80s and 90s.
Macron was joined for the annual military parade by Zelensky, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, along with several others.
“The message we send to the world is this: Yes, peace is our goal,” Macron said Monday in a speech to the military. “Yes, we cherish freedom and the rule of law. And yes, we stand ready to fight to defend them. Always, and at the cost of blood if necessary.”
The parade was France’s largest ever, with almost 6,700 troops, 98 aircraft, 31 helicopters and 315 vehicles, Euro News reported. The parade follows a traditional route from the Arc de Triomphe to Place de la Concorde, celebrating the storming of the Bastille in 1789.
It was intended to show “France’s rearmament, France’s strategic autonomy, and Europe’s strategic awakening,” a government official said.
French Deputy Defense Minister Alice Rufo said the parade showed “a Europe united and determined to support Ukraine in the face of Russia, a Europe that is confident in itself.”
The parade also welcomed allied troops to march alongside French soldiers, including some from Great Britain and Ukraine. Military planes from Germany, Britain, Croatia, Poland, Denmark, Greece, Sweden, Norway, Spain and Italy participated in the fly-by.
The wildfires began Sunday and Monday and have burned more than 5,000 acres — about 10% — of the Fontainebleau Forest, about 40 miles from Paris, authorities said. They have forced about 1,000 people from their homes near the forest.
Police said they have arrested two people on suspicion of arson.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said about 79,000 acres have been burned this year, which is more than the entire fire season of 2025.
Bastille Day is also the 10th anniversary of the terror attack in Nice, France, when a truck drove into a crowd and killed 86 people and injured 400.
There will be a moment of silence for the attack victims before the World Cup game Tuesday evening, in which France will play Spain in the semi-finals.
Bastille Day celebrations held in France
Jets from the French Air and Space Force’s Patrouille de France fly over the entrance to the Tuileries Garden during the Bastille Day military parade in Paris on July 14, 2026. Photo by Maya Vidon-White/UPI | License Photo
