Celebrate Bastille Day | Bastille Day in the Classroom

Bastille Day, or La Fête Nationale, is a French national holiday celebrated annually on the 14th of July. This special day commemorates the 1789 storming of the Bastille (Bastille Prison), a key moment at the beginning of the French Revolution and the formation of the first French republic.

How is Bastille Day celebrated in France?

There are many activities and celebrations families can take part in, and parties and parades that take place all over the country. In the capital, Paris, Bastille Day celebrations include the Bastille Day military parade under the Arc de Triomphe and along the Avenue des Champs-Elysées. During this celebration, the military parade in front of the French president and other important guests. There are also dances that take place across the city, known as Bal des pompiers (Firemen’s balls). At night, there is a magnificent firework display on the Champ de Mars in front of the Eiffel Tower. It‘s common for people to sing the French national anthem, La Marseillaise, on this French national day.

Does this remind you of anything?

Just like the Fourth of July (Independence Day) for Americans, Bastille Day is a national celebration of freedom for the French people. Just as Americans took their freedom, France claimed theirs. King Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette, and the aristocracy were replaced by a new republic led by the common people. Go France!

What can you do to celebrate Bastille Day in the classroom?

Stuck for ideas? Give these French-themed activities a try!

• Create fourteenth of July or “quatorze juillet” decorations using the national colors of France (Le tricolor or french flag) – red, white, and blue (great choices, don’t you think?).
• Host classroom picnics with traditional French treats such as croissants, brioche, quiché, le pain (bread), or le fromages français (French cheeses).
• Create a word search to learn or practice key French phrases e.g. Bonjour, Je m’appelle Kami!
• Use some templates in the Kami Library with fun Bastille Day facts or activities.
• Host your very own Bal des pompiers and party to some French beats!
• Learn the words and sing along to La Marseillaise.

So give it a go and celebrate Bastille Day in your classrooms – bonne chance!  (Good luck!)