Published
Video length: 2 min
Parades, balls, fireworks. On the evening of Saturday, August 24, France immersed itself once again in the festive atmosphere of this day of deliverance. The duty of remembrance was accomplished by singing and dancing.
The image of Saturday, August 24, is first of all swing and the playing of brass instruments on revisited bebop tunes. A ball to remember those who liberated Paris 80 years ago. Some are in period costume, like a father and his daughter who came to pay tribute to their soldier grandfather. “We are here for all the people who have lived through this terrible period”says the father.
A young Parisian chose to wear the outfit of a soldier from the Leclerc division. “It remains important for me to remember these people,” he confides. At 9 p.m., the bells of the churches of Paris rang out as they had on August 24, 1944, after four years of occupation. In front of the church of Saint-Sulpice, a few young Parisians took advantage of this suspended moment. Around 10 p.m., on the forecourt of the Hôtel de Ville, the ball gave way to a techno fanfare, blowing a wind of audacity over the capital.