Habits are changing in Paris this year. The traditional fireworks display in honor of National Day will not be launched on July 14, but the day before, on Monday, July 13, 2026, at 23:00 from the Eiffel Tower and Champs de Mars. An exceptional shift adopted in memory of the 86 victims and several hundred wounded in the terrorist attack in Nice on July 14, 2016, the tenth anniversary of which France is celebrating. The event remains festive, popular and free, but fits into a specific calendar. Thus, if a fire occurs the day before, the military parade on the Champs-Elysees will continue on July 14.
Changing the date does not change the settings. As every year, the show will take place at the Eiffel Tower, with the Champs de Mars and the Trocadéro being the preferred gathering spots. The fire will start at 23:00, after the big concert scheduled for 21:00.
Access to the Champ de Mars will be free, but the crowd should be very large. So it’s best to arrive early, anticipate security checks, and plan your route. For those who do not wish to attend, the event will also be televised and streamed to ensure as many people as possible can follow the evening.
“Happy Together” is the theme of this episode.
The 2026 show was designed to be a magnificent musical and visual creation. The film, titled Happy Together, will revolve around several scenes with a common thread under the banner of sharing, celebration and togetherness. Lights, pyrotechnics, music and drones will make up a show lasting about twenty minutes.
The soundtrack will unite styles and generations, from Queen to Feu! Chatterton, from Anna Sylvester to David Guetta and Sia, without forgetting Blackpink. The show will also pay tribute to several powerful symbols, including the Seine, Paris, the 400th anniversary of the French Navy and the 70th anniversary of the sister city relationship between Paris and Rome.
In the painting dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the twinning of Paris and Rome, we see the intertwining of the symbols of the two cities.– Paris City Hall
More drones in the skies of Paris
One of the highlights of this release will be the deployment of 1,600 drones, up from 1,100 last year. They will be deployed for the first time on both sides of the Eiffel Tower, on the Trocadéro side and on the Champ de Mars side, to offer a broader reading of the show from different perspectives.
These drones, brighter than previous models, will allow you to paint shapes, texts and almost cinematic scenes in the sky. “ Drones allow us to paint shapes and texts in the sky with unprecedented grace. They open up a whole new range of possibilities for creating an almost cinematic show. Their precision and silence sometimes give me the impression that I am in the very heart of the Milky Way,” admits Christophe Bertonneau, artistic director of the event, on the city of Paris website.
Show signed by a team of specialists
Several dozen professionals work for weeks at this large-scale meeting. Artistic direction is thus provided by Christophe Bertonneau, a renowned specialist in pyrotechnics and drone shows, with intimate knowledge of the Eiffel Tower. The first fireworks display at the monument took place in 2000.
The artist always measures the strength of this Parisian setting. “This is the best place in the world to organize this type of event.” Despite his experience, the pressure remains the same with each release. “I always write this show as if it were my last…” admits the man who has notably worked on the Björk and Johnny Hallyday tours. In this episode he promises a lavish spectacle: “There will be the most beautiful colors, the most beautiful tributes in one of the most beautiful places in the world. »
Where to watch fireworks?
The Champ de Mars and the Trocadéro remain the most obvious places to see the show up close. But Paris also offers some interesting vantage points to take a step back from. The Bir Hakeim Bridge allows you to admire the Eiffel Tower in a very Parisian setting, while the heights of Belleville offer a more distant but often breathtaking perspective.
Place Catalunya or even Mont Valerien in Suresnes will also allow you to see the fire from a different angle. This year, even more than usual, we will just have to remember one thing: in Paris, the big pyrotechnic event will take place not on July 14, but on July 13.