- Title: France's Bastille Day concludes with annual Eiffel Tower fireworks display
- Date: 15th July 2020
- Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (French) 39-YEAR-OLD SPECTATOR VIEWING FIREWORKS FROM MONTPARNASSE TOWER, SEBASTIEN LEYNE, SAYING: "I think that the 14th of July during the coronavirus, it is an opportunity to celebrate a revival and to gather all together again. So, it gave me even more the wish to celebrate it and to see something beautiful because during three months we haven't seen beautiful things."
- Embargoed: 29th July 2020 01:46
- Keywords: Bastille Day France celebrations fireworks national day
- Location: PARIS, FRANCE
- City: PARIS, FRANCE
- Country: France
- Topics: Government/Politics,Editors' Choice
- Reuters ID: LVA002CMS7YVB
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:France rounded off Bastille Day celebrations with an explosion of colours spewing across the sky in the capital with a traditional fireworks display around the Eiffel Tower on Tuesday (July 14) night.
This year's 30-minute spectacle paid tribute to "everyday heroes" who have played a role in France's battle against the novel coronavirus and who are the "symbol of Paris' resilience," Paris City Hall said.
Usually a delight for thousands of viewing public, this year's show had limited access, with the parkland around the tower closed to the public to prevent the spread of the virus that has killed more than 30,000 in France.
Bastille Day, or the French National Day, dates back to the 1789 revolution. On that day, citizens stormed the Bastille fortress, which was used to detain prisoners and had become a symbol of the harsh rule of the French monarchy.
Earlier on Tuesday, government leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron attended the traditional Bastille Day ceremony, which took place in a limited format at the Place de la Concorde square and recognised health workers and troops.
(Production: Emilie Delwarde, Yonathan Van der Voort, Ardee Napolitano) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2020. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None