2021 Bastille Day Military Parade | French Foreign Legion Information

This Wednesday marked Bastille Day, the French National Day of the 14th July. As usually, a military parade occurred in Paris that day. While the previous year was the parade significantly reduced, due to the COVID-19 restrictions, the popular event was back to normal this year. As always, the French Foreign Legion was represented.

Like every year, even the 2021 Bastille Day Military Parade in Paris took place on the Champs-Elysées, a well-known avenue in the 8th arrondissement.

This year, the Foreign Legion was traditionally represented by Foreign Legion Pioneers (39 men to participate), a platoon of bearded soldiers marching ahead of the other Legion units and led by an NCO. This is an exception among the rest of the French units taking part in the parade, which are led by officers. Another traditional participant in the ceremony is the Foreign Legion Music Band, consisting of 60 officers, NCOs and musicians who formed two blocs, with chapeau chinois in the middle (Turkish Crescent or Jingling Johnny, it serves as a prominent instrument).

These two units were completed by 113 men from the 1st Foreign Cavalry Regiment (1er REC), the only cavalry unit of the Legion. The detachment consisted of their commanding officer, Colonel Meunier (who is leaving the regiment after two years), the color guard and legionnaires from both the 2nd and 5th Squadrons, led by their captains and four platoon leaders.

During the event, the legionnaires are closing the parade of marching troops, because of the Legion’s much slower traditional marching speed than the rest of the French Army (88 steps/minute vs 116 steps/minute).

The military parade went in front of French President Emmanuel Macron.

The whole 2021 Military Parade. The Foreign Legion starts at 01:29:39.

Another video of the The whole 2021 Military Parade. The Foreign Legion starts at 01:15:30.

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