France-Bastille Day parade

The traditional 14 July military parade was held on the Champs Elysées in Paris in the presence of Emmanuel Macron and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the guest of honour.

The annual Bastille Day festivities, which mark the storming of the Bastille prison at the start of the French Revolution in 1789, kicked off with a traditional military parade. In total, the 2023 edition of the parade will bring together 6,500 participants, 157 vehicles including the Serval light armoured vehicle, which will be on parade for the first time.

Ahead of the ceremony, French President Emmanuel Macron awarded Modi the grand cross of the Legion of Honour, the country's top order of merit, which Modi hailed as "an honour for the 1.4 billion residents of India". The wooing of Modi this year reflects deepening ties between France and India, which are marking 25 years of "strategic partnership".