Bastille Day!
Today, July 14th, is Bastille Day in France, the national holiday (like Canada Day or Independance Day).
The whole country parties, and there are fireworks in the evening throught the country. It celebrates the fall of the Bastille, which was a prison of political prisoners in Paris in the 1700's. The French Revolution started with the demise of the Bastille.
Here's a link from the French embassy in the US about Bastille Day.