Thousands of tourists were flocking to Paris today to enjoy a party marking the 60th anniversary of city’s wartime liberation.
On August 25 1944, Allied forces, Resistance fighters and Parisians succeeded in ending the Nazis’ occupation of the French capital.
To commemorate that event, military parades were being held today, and at Paris city hall, a big ceremony was taking place led by President Jacques Chirac and featuring music, a broadcast of General Charles de Gaulle’s memorable speech from Liberation day, a troop review and a release of doves.
There will also be a ball on the Place de la Bastille, with 1,000 men and women dressed in 1940s clothing taking part in the dance.
More than 2,000 police and gendarmes have been drafted in to ensure the events run smoothly, Sky News reported.
The news organisation quoted Paris mayor Bertrand Delanoe as saying: “In memory of what was a unique moment of mass jubilation, we wanted this commemoration to be friendly and festive.”
