07/04/2026
Merci à la France!
Today is the Fourth of July, and it marks 250 years since the Declaration of Independence was signed. It's a huge anniversary, and France has every reason to be part of the celebration.
Without French support, the American Revolution could have ended very differently. Louis XVI recognized American independence in 1778, and the alliance that followed brought French troops, ships, weapons, and money across the Atlantic. Lafayette was just 19 when he sailed to join George Washington. Rochambeau landed in Newport with more than 5,000 men, and Admiral de Grasse's fleet trapped the British at Yorktown in 1781, helping bring the war to an end.
The friendship carried on long after the fighting stopped. The Statue of Liberty arrived as a gift from France in 1886, designed by Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi with its iron framework by Gustave Eiffel. French soldiers rest in American cemeteries. American soldiers rest in Normandy. It's a long, complicated, and mostly warm relationship that has lasted for centuries.
This weekend, Versailles is at the center of the celebrations. More than 500 historical reenactors have transformed the gardens of the Grand Trianon into military camps, complete with a full recreation of the Battle of Yorktown. Tonight from 8:30 pm, the Grandes Eaux Nocturnes presents a special American edition with Baroque music, fountains, drones, and fireworks. The Palace is also opening its new permanent American Independence Gallery, telling the story of Washington, Franklin, Lafayette, and France's role in the birth of the United States.
Paris is joining in too. Paris Plages opens today with the Seine riverbanks celebrating America, including free flag football beside the river. The Musée de l'Armée is hosting a jazz evening inspired by James Reese Europe. Musée Carnavalet is running its exhibition celebrating 250 years of Franco American friendship until September, while the National Archives is showcasing Lafayette. You can even visit Picpus Cemetery, where Lafayette is buried beneath an American flag that flies every day of the year.
On the Riviera, Villefranche sur Mer is marking its long friendship with the US Sixth Fleet through a day of celebrations that includes a parade of vintage Jeeps to Beaulieu sur Mer and Saint Jean Cap Ferrat, followed by an open air swing concert. In Nice, people are gathering beside the Statue of Liberty replica on Quai des États Unis before heading to an all American lunch at Le Napoléon.
Elsewhere, Lyon has an American Southeast inspired afternoon tea, Rennes is hosting a Democrats Abroad picnic, and closer to my part of France, the Musée du Nouveau Monde in La Rochelle is running an exhibition about France's role in creating the United States through November. If you're in southwest France, it's well worth adding to your list.
And if you can't make it to any of these events? A barbecue in the garden with something cold in your hand works just fine.
Are there any Americans in your village celebrating today? I'd love to hear how you're marking this historic 250th anniversary.
