Bastille Day 2026 in Paris: parade, fireworks moved and what is open

On July 14, Paris officially hits pause. Banks, government offices, and most private shops are closed, and tens of thousands of people take their spots on the Champs-Élysées from early morning. Bastille Day has been celebrated here according to the same script for over a century, but 2026 has an important exception.

In 2026, the fireworks at the Eiffel Tower and the big concert have been moved to Monday, July 13. The Paris city government did this to honor the memory of those killed in the terrorist attack in Nice on July 14, 2016 (As of: 09/2026, Paris city government). The military parade remains in its usual place, on Tuesday, July 14.

Below, we have broken down the practical details point by point: the ceremony schedule, fireworks viewing spots, store and museum hours, and the list of closed metro stations. You can plan all of this from home.

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What happens in Paris on July 14

💡 In short:

• The military parade on the Champs-Élysées starts around 10:00 and lasts about two hours.
• Watch the flyover from the Champs-Élysées or the Tuileries Garden, where it is noticeably less crowded.
• The fireworks at the Eiffel Tower in 2026 have been moved to Monday, July 13, starting at 23:00.
• The Eiffel Tower is closed to visitors early on fireworks day.
• Prices and opening hours: 09/2026, verified on the official Eiffel Tower website.

Bastille Day in Paris is a national holiday, not a tourist show. The official part consists of a morning military parade and evening fireworks. In between, the city lives its normal life, just on a holiday schedule. You feel the holiday on the streets long before the ceremonies begin.

Dates and times are announced anew every year. In 2026, the parade takes place on Tuesday, July 14, while the fireworks and concert have been shifted to the day before, Monday, July 13. So always check the program before your trip (Sortiraparis, 07/2026).

Military parade on the Champs-Élysées

The main morning event of the day opens with the military parade on the Champs-Élysées. The column moves from the Arc de Triomphe to Place de la Concorde, starting around 10:00 (As of: 09/2026, French Ministry of Defense). The parade lasts about two hours, so by midday the avenue is reopened to traffic.

© Chabe01 · CC BY-SAPhoto: Chabe01, CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0), Wikimedia Commons

The ministry published the 2026 program in advance. This ceremony also has its own themes (As of: 09/2026, parade program on the ministry website):

The President of France is expected on Avenue Friedland around 9:50. From there, he rides down the avenue in a military vehicle along the route of his predecessors. The motorcade itself is barely visible from the crowd, but you will get a good look at the column of vehicles and personnel at the barriers.

The stands at Place de la Concorde are set up in advance. French and foreign politicians sit there, and police close off the avenue with barriers several hours before the start. Free spots at the fence are taken while it is still dark.

Invitations to the honorary seats are distributed separately; an ordinary spectator cannot get into the stands. But there are plenty of free areas behind the barriers all along the avenue. Parisians take those spots from early morning.

Your morning plan is simple: arrive by 8:00. By 9:30, the section you want is already closed off, and you will be watching the parade from a distance. Bring water: July in Paris is hot, and you will be standing for several hours.

Around 10:21, everyone looks to the sky. The Patrouille de France, the French Air Force aerobatic team, flies over the Champs-Élysées and paints the colors of the national flag in the sky. Then a formation of planes and helicopters passes over the city, and infantry steps onto the ground.

The march includes 6,686 military personnel, 299 vehicles, 90 aircraft, 32 helicopters, and 193 cavalry horses (As of: 09/2026, French Ministry of Defense). The theme of the 2026 parade is "Réveil stratégique de l'Europe", and Ukraine holds a special place among the guests.

Foot units march in tight blocks of eight to ten people per row. Military bands pass between them, so the music can be heard even on neighboring streets. For you, this means the sound is everywhere, but you need to choose your view in advance.

Armored vehicles come last and move slowly. Because of the heavy vehicles, the asphalt is closed off in advance, so arrive on foot or by metro, not by taxi. By midday, the avenue is fully cleared.

The parade finale is traditionally dedicated to veterans. France honors the Bleuet de France organization, which helps former soldiers, the wounded, and victims of terrorist attacks. After the president departs at 12:00, the security cordon is lifted gradually.

Fireworks at the Eiffel Tower: what time and where to watch

The main event of the evening is the fireworks at the Eiffel Tower. In 2026, they have been moved to Monday, July 13, starting at 23:00, with the same venue, the Champ-de-Mars (As of: 09/2026, official city government announcement). The volleys are launched from the tower itself, from the Bassin du Trocadéro, and from Pont d'Iéna, so the show is visible far from the center.

The best viewing spots: Champ de Mars, Place du Trocadéro, Pont de l'Alma, Passerelle Debilly, and Palais de Tokyo. From there you get a clear view of the tower and can hear the music that accompanies the show. Tour Montparnasse and Pont Alexandre III also work, but the sound doesn't carry that far.

Arrive early, by 9:00 PM. Later you'll hit the security perimeter: access to Champ de Mars closes before the show starts, and spots along the parapet are taken two hours before it begins. If you want to watch from above, get tickets to the Tour Montparnasse observation deck in advance.

Free Concert de Paris concert

Before the fireworks, a free concert takes place on Champ de Mars. In 2026 it was also moved to July 13 (as of 09/2026, Sortiraparis). Starting at 9:00 PM, the Orchestre National de France performs there, and admission is free for everyone.

The concert lasts about an hour and a half. Lawn seating is unassigned: if you arrive earlier, you'll sit closer to the stage. Bring a blanket and water, because the grass gets dusty by evening, and you'll still have to wait about half an hour for the fireworks. The program is dedicated to partner countries, so the lineup changes every year.

What's open on July 14: shops and restaurants

July 14 is an official public holiday in France. Small shops and bakeries are mostly closed, but tourist neighborhoods stay lively: some boutiques in Montmartre and the Marais are open. Major department stores in the center are usually open all day (as of 09/2026, Paris city hall).

Check the department stores' websites for hours on the day of your visit. Carrousel du Louvre, Bercy Village, and Citadium also welcome visitors, but their schedules shift.

Restaurants are easier: most of them are open on July 14. The holiday evening is busy anyway, so book a table in advance. In tourist areas, dinner without a reservation is only possible before 7:00 PM.

Museums and attractions: hours and admission

The main change for 2026 concerns the Louvre. July 14 falls on a Tuesday, and the museum is closed on Tuesdays, so the usual free admission on the holiday will not be available (as of 09/2026, Sortiraparis). Plan your visit for another day of the week.

The Eiffel Tower is open daily from 9:30 AM to 11:00 PM (as of 09/2026, official website). A stairs ticket to the second floor costs €14.80 for adults, the top level costs €36.70, and for children and young people aged 4 to 24 it ranges from €3.80 to €18.40 (as of 09/2026, official Eiffel Tower website). On fireworks day, July 13, the approaches and the ascent close early.

Other museums operate on their own schedules, since each has its own closing day. Many national museums are free on July 14, but some require booking a time slot in advance (as of 09/2026, Sortiraparis). The Arc de Triomphe is open only in the afternoon on that day.

It is more convenient to buy museum and observation deck tickets online with a time slot: on the holiday, ticket office lines are longer than usual. Check current opening hours the day before your visit.

Which metro stations close on July 14

The metro runs on July 14, but with caveats. For safety reasons, RATP closes stations along the parade route, so some usual transfers are unavailable (as of 09/2026, RATP). Stations open and close depending on the situation, so make your decision on the spot.

In the morning, during the parade, stations are closed from 5:30 AM:

• Concorde (lines M1, M8, M12)
• Champs-Élysées Clémenceau (M1, M13)
• Charles de Gaulle Étoile (M1, M2, M6 and RER A)
• Franklin D. Roosevelt (M1, M9)
• George V, Argentine, Tuileries (M1)
• Kléber, Boissière (M6)

In the evening, on fireworks day July 13, exits near the Eiffel Tower close:

• Trocadéro (from 7:00 PM)
• Iéna (from 11:00 PM)
• École Militaire, Dupleix, Passy, Bir-Hakeim (from 7:00 PM)
• Avenue du Président Kennedy, Champ de Mars, Javel and RER C (from 9:00 PM)
• Pont de l'Alma (from 10:00 PM), Alma-Marceau (from 7:00 PM)

Closing times on the holiday itself may shift. Check them in the Île-de-France Mobilités app or on the RATP website on the day of your trip. That way you will not get stuck at a closed exit.

How to get there and how to leave after the fireworks

Public transport is overloaded all day on July 14. If you dislike crowds, walk to the Eiffel Tower on fireworks evening, July 13. From Invalides to Champ de Mars is about 2 km, a 25-minute walk at a relaxed pace (per the map).

If you do take the metro, choose stations away from the tower: Cambronne (M6), La Motte-Picquet and Ségur (M8, M10), Saint-François-Xavier and Varenne (M13). From there it is a 10-15 minute walk to the lawn. This way you will avoid the densest crowds.

Getting back after the fireworks is also better on foot. The metro near the tower closes, the nearest open stations are packed, and taxis barely show up at that time. A relaxed route to Invalides takes the same half hour.

⁉️🤔 Frequently asked questions

When are the fireworks in Paris in 2026?

The fireworks at the Eiffel Tower have been moved to Monday, July 13, 2026, starting at 11:00 PM at Champ-de-Mars (as of 09/2026, Paris city hall website). The reason is the tenth anniversary of the Nice attack. The show is best viewed from Champ de Mars, Trocadéro or Pont de l'Alma, so arrive early.

Can you go up the Eiffel Tower during the holiday days?

On regular days the tower is open from 9:30 AM to 11:00 PM, and an adult ticket to the top level costs €36.70 (as of 09/2026, official rates and hours). But on fireworks day, July 13, the approaches and the ascent close early. Plan your visit for another date and watch the show from outside.

Where is the best place to watch the fireworks?

The best spots are Champ de Mars, Place du Trocadéro, Pont de l'Alma, and Palais de Tokyo. From there you can see the tower and hear the music. Arrive by 9:00 PM; after that the approaches are closed off and you will be stuck behind the police cordon (City of Paris program).

Are shops open on July 14?

Small shops are closed because July 14 is a national public holiday. Large department stores in the center are usually open, but it is best to check their hours the day before (as of 09/2026, City of Paris page). Pharmacies and local grocery stores operate on a holiday schedule.

Do you need tickets for the parade?

The parade is free; you do not need to buy tickets. Spots along the Champs-Élysées are taken from 8:00 AM, and by 9:30 AM the remaining open sections are already closed off. The stands at Place de la Concorde are invitation-only; regular visitors cannot get in.

Is the Louvre open on July 14?

In 2026 the Louvre is closed on July 14: the holiday falls on a Tuesday, and the museum is closed on Tuesdays (as of 09/2026, Sortiraparis article about museums). Usually admission is free on this day, but in 2026 that rule does not apply. Other museums are open; check their hours the day before.

In short: what is worth booking

If you are going to Paris for the national holiday, decide the main things in advance:

• Want to see the fireworks from above: book an observation deck early.
• Going to museums: book morning slots; ticket offices are overloaded on the holiday.
• Coming for the parade: arrive by 8:00 AM and stay around the middle of the avenue.
• Do not like crowds: watch the show from Pont de l'Alma and leave on foot.

Everything else can be sorted out on the spot: shops, restaurants, and the metro are running, just on a holiday schedule. Accommodation in the center gets booked up quickly, so book Paris hotels on Trip.com with some buffer. Tours and tickets with time slots are convenient to book through GetYourGuide.