PARIS — Parisians and tourists filled the city's boulevards and riverbanks on Sunday as France entered its Bastille Day weekend. Preparations are under way for the annual military parade down the Champs-Elysees on July 14, with the Elysee Palace confirming rehearsals for the procession.

Bastille Day commemorates the storming of the Bastille prison in 1789, a turning point of the French Revolution. The centrepiece parade traditionally features thousands of troops, military aircraft flypasts by the Patrouille de France, and armoured vehicles passing the presidential reviewing stand at Place de la Concorde.

Across the capital, fire stations opened their doors for the traditional Bals des Pompiers, the firefighters' balls that draw crowds on the evenings surrounding the holiday. Restaurants and cafes reported brisk bookings, while the Paris tourism office highlighted the fireworks display planned at the Eiffel Tower and Champ de Mars.

The Paris police prefecture said security arrangements would be reinforced for the weekend, with road closures and crowd-control measures along the parade route and near major monuments. Police urged visitors to arrive early to secure viewing positions.

A Paris tourism office spokesperson said the celebrations were expected to draw large domestic and international crowds, calling Bastille Day "the emotional heart of the French summer, bringing together tradition, spectacle and national pride."