A parade involving 5,618 soldiers, gendarmes, police officers and firefighters took place on the Champs-Élysées in Paris to mark Bastille Day, French media reported on Monday.
Special attention was paid to French soldiers “ready to go on operations,” as commentators on television channels broadcasting the spectacle reported.
The opening ceremony of the parade, with a flyover by the “Patrouille de France” aerobatic team, which formed the French tricolour in the sky above Paris, was watched by a crowd of thousands.
The guest of honour at the 2025 celebrations was Indonesia, with which France has signed a strategic partnership to strengthen their joint influence in the Asia-Pacific region. Four hundred and fifty Indonesian military personnel marched along the Champs-Élysées, including 189 musicians from the Gabungan percussion ensemble. Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto attended the parade.
The columns of soldiers were followed by heavy ground forces equipment, including Griffon and Serval armoured personnel carriers, Caesar self-propelled artillery systems and Jaguar armoured reconnaissance and combat vehicles.
Earlier, French President Emmanuel Macron announced a significant increase in military spending: the military budget is to double by 2027 compared to 2017 and reach €64 billion.
Traditions of Bastille Day celebrations
The final, artistic part of the celebration was dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the symbol of remembrance and solidarity with the victims of war, veterans, widows and orphans of French soldiers – the “Bleuet de France” (Cornflower of France). This initiative was inspired by the British poppy, which symbolises remembrance of those who died in the World War I.
Two former gendarmes who became popular singers, Eloise and Ivar, performed a duet of Jean-Jacques Goldman’s song “Nous serons là” (We will be there), dedicated to those wounded in wars. They then performed the French national anthem, “La Marseillaise.”
The military parade on the occasion of the National Holiday returned to the Champs-Élysées. Last year, as an exception, it was held on the other side of the Arc de Triomphe, on Avenue Foch, while preparations for the 2024 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games were in full swing on the Champs-Élysées.
