Bastille Day is celebrated annually on July 14 in France. It commemorates the storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789, a pivotal event at the start of the French Revolution. The fall of the Bastille, a medieval fortress and prison in Paris, symbolized the people’s uprising against the monarchy and the oppressive rule of King Louis XVI.
Since 1880, Bastille Day has been the French National Day (known in French as “Fête Nationale”). It is a public holiday celebrated across the country and abroad, reflecting the values of the revolution — liberty, equality, and fraternity.