Bastille Day - La Rochelle

Event takes place: 14 July 2012 - 14 July 2012

France's National Day is celebrated in La Rochelle with a host of activities, from food markets to live music. After dark, head for the port to watch fireworks over the sea.

Bastille Day reminds us of the fateful day in 1789 when the people, united in their discontent with King Louis XVI, stormed and destroyed the Bastille, the French prison. It celebrates the end of the French monarchy and the beginning of the republic. The overthrow of the Bastille signified a rejection of the absolutism of the ancient regime and a common desire, inspired by 18th-century philosophers, for a right to self-determination.

In 1880 the day was declared a national holiday. Paris also hosts a solemn military parade up the Champs Elysées. The day is commonly celebrated in towns throughout the country with fireworks and public dancing.

Email: accueil@larochelle-tourisme.com

Telephone: + 33 (0)5 46 41 14 68