High-Suspense But Amazing Bastille Day Fireworks in Nantes

It was a hot, windy day in Nantes, and the Bastille Day fireworks show was keeping everyone in suspense.

Would it happen or not?

Fireworks are a waiting game—ten to twenty minutes of epic loud, colourful bangs but hours spent navigating crowded streets and securing a good spot, not to mention months of work for pyrotechnicians.

And these shows can always get cancelled at the last minute because reasons. For instance, this year, several French cities cancelled their show for fear of a resurgence of the recent unrest or to “punish” the rioters.

Nantes was going along with the traditional Bastille Day celebrations, including the much-awaited fireworks show.

But the weather turned dangerously windy around 7 p.m. and it started raining at 8 p.m.

Damn.

“Oh well,” everybody seemed to think. “May as well just pretend the weather will eventually cooperate at the last minute.”

The French are occasionally optimistic when they’re drunk enough and by 8 p.m., many sure were—most people don’t walk around waving flags on Bastille, national pride is best sipped at cafés and bars.

Amazingly, collective optimism or complicated meteorology did the trick.

We all watched the sky turn blue, then dark enough to be a proper fireworks backdrop.

The show started at 11 p.m.—no rain, no wind, just people cheering and enjoying.

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