Thousands gathered around the Eiffel Tower on Monday, July 13, 2026, to witness a spectacular display of fireworks and 1,600 illuminated drones lighting up the Paris skyline above the Champ de Mars and Trocadéro. This event was held a day earlier than usual to allow Bastille Day on Tuesday, July 14, to be dedicated to commemorating the 10th anniversary of the 2016 Nice truck attack, which killed 86 people, including 15 children, and injured 458 others.

The decision to move the display was made by Paris Mayor Emmanuel Gregoire in coordination with President Emmanuel Macron. On Bastille Day, Macron is set to lead his tenth and final parade as president, joined by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Later that evening, France is scheduled to face Spain in the World Cup semi-final.

Bastille Day marks the anniversary of the 1789 storming of the Bastille, a pivotal event that sparked the French Revolution.

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