Bastille Day: What Is It And Why Is This Year Different?

Bastille Day is the name given to the French National day, held on July 14th every year.

The celebration is held to commemorate the first anniversary of the Storming of the Bastille, which took place on 14th July 1789, and acted as a turning point in the French Revolution.

The event simultaneously marks the the Fête de la Fédération, which celebrates the unifying of the French people on 14 July 1790.

Bastille Day is the home of the oldest and largest regular military parade in Europe, held on the morning of July 14th on the Champs-Élysées.

This year, however, marks the first in which American troops will join the French military in the proceedings.

150 US soldiers are marching to commemorate the centenary of the US involvement in WW1.

This coincides with Donald Trump’s visit to France at the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron.

As the parade began this morning, the French equivalent of the Red Arrows, known as the Patrouille de France, flew over Paris- as they do every year.

The jets left trails of red white and blue, the colours of the French flag, in the sky.