As it’s one of the biggest public holidays of the year, a lot of things in Paris will be closed this 14th July (Bastille Day). However, there is one big event that you might like to go and see – the huge annual military parade on the Champs Elysées!

Here’s all the info to help you see it for yourself…

One event we usually look out for on the 14th July is meeting the military on the esplanade in front of Invalides close to our hotels, which happens just after the military parade on the Champs-Elysées. However, it’s been cancelled this year 😥

This means that the main event for this year’s 14th July is the impressive military parade, and you can go and see it up close… as long as you arrive early enough.

The figures for what’s being prepared are dizzying:

— 6,686 women and men will be in the parade (on foot you’ll see represented close to 70 military academies, schools, infantry regiments, brigades, patrollers, reserve soldiers, submarine crews…)

— almost 200 horses will be present,

— there will be 315 vehicles, including

— 98 planes (90 French planes and 8 foreign planes, doing seven fly-bys) and 33 helicopters,

— 35 countries invited from the Coalition of Volunteers, plus delegations from NATO and the European Union,

— and the final bouquet will honour the flags of the invited countries and pay homage to 400 years of the Navy (founded in 1626) with music influenced by the coastal region of Brittany.

As you might expect, the organisation of the 2-hour event is very strict, right down to the minute:

9.50am : the French president arrives
10.00am : the president reviews the troops
10.13am : the president is honoured by the troops
10.21am : planes fly-over
10.28am : footsoldiers
11.30am : helicopters of the armed forces
11.31am : motorised troops of the armed forces, helicopters of the interior security units, motorised troops of the interior security units
11.48am : troops on horseback
11.50am : final bouquet
12pm : the French president leaves

Don’t forget to arrive as early as possible if you hope to get a seat! Otherwise, you can still stand on place de la Concorde or in the Tuileries Garden and watch the airborne part of the parade starting 10.20am.

Hope you enjoy the 2026 military parade!