Bastille Day

BASTILLE DAY

Bastille Day is the name given in English-speaking countries to the French National Day, which is celebrated on 14 July each year. In France, it is formally called La Fête nationale (French pronunciation: [fɛːt nasjɔˈnal]; The National Celebration) and commonly Le quatorze juillet (French pronunciation: [lə.ka.tɔʁz.ʒɥiˈjɛ]; the fourteenth of July).

The French National Day commemorates the beginning of the French Revolution with the Storming of the Bastille on 14 July 1789, as well as the Fête de la Fédération which celebrated the unity of the French people on 14 July 1790. Celebrations are held throughout France. The oldest and largest regular military parade in Europe is held on the morning of 14 July, on the Champs-Élysées in Paris in front of the President of the Republic, French officials and foreign guests.

Events and traditions of the day

Nationally

The Bastille Day Military Parade opens with cadets from the École polytechnique, Saint-Cyr, École Navale, and so forth, then other infantry troops, then motorized troops; aircraft of the Patrouille de France aerobatics team fly above. In recent times, it has become custom to invite units from France's allies to the parade. In 2004 during the centenary of the Entente Cordiale, British troops (the band of the Royal Marines, the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment, Grenadier Guards and King's Troop, Royal Horse Artillery) led the Bastille Day parade in Paris for the first time, with the Red Arrows flying overhead. In 2007 the German 26th Airborne Brigade led the march followed by British Royal Marines. In 2013, Malian soldiers opened the parade, following the Franco-Malian military Operation Serval. Members of the United Nations' MINUSMA forces also took part in the parade, including soldiers from twelve other African countries, notably Chad. United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon attended

3 the parade alongside French President François Hollande.[6]

Locally

At the municipal level, ceremonies are organized in most of communes of France with a traditional speech of the mayor, followed by wreath-laying at war memorial. French honor guard stands before war memorial and holds emblems of his municipality.

History

Storming of the Bastille

On 19 May 1789, Louis XVI convened the Estates- General to hear their grievances. The deputies of the Third Estate, representing the common people (the two others were the Catholic Church and nobility), decided to break away and form a National Assembly. On 20 June the deputies of the Third Estate took the Tennis Court Oath, swearing not to separate until a constitution had been established. They were gradually joined by

4 delegates of the other estates; Louis XVI started to recognize their validity on 27 June. The assembly renamed itself the National Constituent Assembly on 9 July, and began to function as a legislature and to draft a constitution.

In the wake of the 11 July dismissal of Jacques Necker (the finance minister, who was sympathetic to the Third Estate), the people of Paris, fearful that they and their representatives would be attacked by the royal army, and seeking to gain ammunition and gunpowder for the general populace, stormed the Bastille, a fortress-prison in Paris which had often held people jailed on the basis of lettres de cachet, arbitrary royal indictments that could not be appealed. Besides holding a large cache of ammunition and gunpowder, the Bastille had been known for holding political prisoners whose writings had displeased the royal government, and was thus a symbol of the absolutism of the monarchy. As it happened, at the time of the attack in July 1789 there were only seven inmates, none of great political significance.

When the crowd—eventually reinforced by mutinous gardes françaises—proved a fair match for the fort's defenders, Governor de Launay, the commander of the Bastille, capitulated and opened the gates to avoid a mutual massacre. However, possibly because of a misunderstanding, fighting resumed. Ninety-eight attackers and just one defender died in the actual fighting, but in the aftermath, de Launay and seven other defenders were killed, as was the 'prévôt des marchands' (roughly, mayor) Jacques de Flesselles.

Shortly after the storming of the Bastille, on 4 August, feudalism was abolished. On 26 August, the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen was proclaimed.

Fête de la Fédération

The Fête de la Fédération on the 14 July 1790 was a celebration to commemorate the first anniversary of the Storming of the Bastille and the unity of the French Nation during the French Revolution. The event took place on the Champ de Mars, which was at the time far outside Paris. The place had been transformed on a

6 voluntary basis by the population of Paris itself, in what was recalled as the Journée des brouettes ("Wheelbarrow Day").

A mass was celebrated by Talleyrand, bishop of Autun. The popular General Lafayette, as captain of the National Guard of Paris and confidant of the king, took his oath to the constitution, followed by King Louis XVI. After the end of the official celebration, the day ended in a huge four-day popular feast and people celebrated with fireworks, as well as fine wine and running naked through the streets in order to display their great freedom.

Origin of the present celebration

On 30 June 1878, a feast had been arranged in Paris by official decision to honour the French Republic (the event was commemorated in a painting by Claude Monet). On 14 July 1879, another feast took place, with a semi-official aspect; the events of the day included a reception in the Chamber of Deputies, organised and presided over by Léon Gambetta, a military review in

Longchamp, and a Republican Feast in the Pré Catelan. All through France, Le Figaro wrote, "people feasted much to honour the storming of the Bastille".

On 21 May 1880, Benjamin Raspail proposed a law to have "the Republic choose the 14 July as a yearly national holiday". The Assembly voted in favour of the proposal on 21 May and 8 June. The Senate approved on it 27 and 29 June, favouring 14 July against 4 August (honouring the end of the feudal system on 4 August 1789). The law was made official on 6 July 1880, and the Ministry of the Interior recommended to Prefects that the day should be "celebrated with all the brilliance that the local resources allow".Indeed, the celebrations of the new holiday in 1880 were particularly magnificent.

In the debate leading up to the adoption of the holiday, Henri Martin, chairman of the French Senate, addressed that chamber on 29 June 1880:

Do not forget that behind this 14 July, where victory of the new era over the ancien régime was bought by fighting, do not forget that after the day of 14 July 1789,

8 there was the day of 14 July 1790.... This [latter] day cannot be blamed for having shed a drop of blood, for having divided the country. It was the consecration of the unity of France.... If some of you might have scruples against the first 14 July, they certainly hold none against the second. Whatever difference which might part us, something hovers over them, it is the great images of national unity, which we all desire, for which we would all stand, willing to die if necessary.

Bastille Day Military Parade

The Bastille Day Military Parade is the French military parade that has been held on the morning of 14 July each year in Paris since 1880. While previously held elsewhere within or near the capital city, since 1918 it has been held on the Champs-Élysées, with the paticipation of the Allies as represented in the Versailles Peace Conference, and with the exception of the period of German occupation from 1940 to 1944 (when the ceremony took place in London under the command of General de Gaulle), The parade passes down the

Champs-Élysées from the Arc de Triomphe to the Place de la Concorde, where the President of the French Republic, his government and foreign ambassadors to France stand. This is a popular event in France, broadcast on French TV, and is the oldest and largest regular military parade in Europe. In some years, invited detachments of foreign troops take part in the parade and foreign statesmen attend as guests.

Smaller military parades are held in French garrison towns, including Toulon and Belfort, with local troops.

Bastille Day celebrations in other countries

 Belgium o Liège celebrates the Bastille Day each year since the end of the First World War, as Liège was decorated by the Légion d'Honneur for its unexpected resistance during the Battle of Liège.  Czech Republic o Since 2008, Prague has hosted a French market "Le marché du 14 juillet" offering

traditional French food and wine as well as music. The market takes place on Kampa Island, usually between 11 and 14 July.

 Hungary o Budapest's two-day celebration is sponsored by the Institut de France.

 India o Bastille Day is celebrated with great festivity in Pondicherry every year. Being an important French colony, Pondicherry celebrates this day with great honor and pride. On the eve of the Bastille Day, retired soldiers engage themselves in parade and celebrate the day with Indian and French National Anthems. On the day, uniformed war soldiers march through the street to honor the French soldiers who were killed in the battles. One can perceive French and the Indian

flag flying alongside that project the mishmash of cultures and heritages.

 New Zealand o The Auckland suburb of Remuera hosts an annual French themed Bastille Day street festival.

 South Africa o Franschhoek's week-end festival has been celebrated for the last 15 years. (Franschhoek, or 'French Corner,' is situated in the Western Cape.)

 United Kingdom o London has a large French contingent, and celebrates Bastille Day at various locations including Battersea Park, Camden Town and Kentish Town. o Edinburgh continues recalls the days of the Auld Alliance between Scotland and France with its annual Bastille Day

celebration, which is often second only those of Paris.

 United States – Over 50 U.S. cities conduct annual celebrations: o Baltimore has a large Bastille Day celebration each year at Petit Louis in the Roland Park area of Baltimore City. o Boston has a celebration annually, hosted by the French Cultural Center for over 35 years. Recently, the celebration took place in The Liberty Hotel, a former city jail converted into a boutique hotel, though more often the festivities occur in Boston's Back Bay neighborhood, near the Cultural Center's headquarters. The celebration typically includes francophone musical performers, dancing, and French cuisine. o Chicago has hosted a variety of Bastille Day celebrations in a number of locations in the city, including Navy Pier and Oz

Park. The recent incarnations have been sponsored in part by the Chicago branch of the French-American Chamber of Commerce and by the French Consulate- General in Chicago. o Dallas's Bastille Day celebration, "Bastille On Bishop", began in 2010 and is held annually on 14 July in the Bishop Arts District of the North Oak Cliff neighborhood, southwest of downtown just across the Trinity River. Dallas' French roots are tied to the short lived socialist Utopian community La Réunion, formed in 1855 and incorporated into the City of Dallas in 1860. o Houston has a celebration at La Colombe d'Or Hotel. It is hosted by the Consulate General of France in Houston, The French Alliance, the French-American Chamber of Commerce, and the Texan- French Alliance for the Arts.

14 o Milwaukee's four-day street festival begins with a "Storming of the Bastille" with a 43-foot replica of the Eiffel Tower. o Minneapolis has a celebration in Uptown with wine, French food, pastries, a flea market, circus performers and bands. Also in the Twin Cities area, the local chapter of the Alliance Française has hosted an annual event for years at varying locations with a competition for the "Best Baguette of the Twin Cities." o Montgomery, Ohio has a celebration with wine, beer, local restaurants' fare, pastries, games and bands. o New Orleans has multiple celebrations, the largest in the historic French Quarter. o New York City has numerous Bastille Day celebrations each July, including Bastille Day on 60th Street hosted by the French Institute Alliance Française between Fifth and Lexington Avenues on the Upper East Side of Manhattan,

Bastille Day on Smith Street in Brooklyn, and Bastille Day in Tribeca. The Empire State Building is illuminated in blue, white and red. o Orlando has a boutique Bastille Day street festival that began in 2009 in the Audubon Park Garden District and involves champagne, wine, music, petanque, artists, and street performers. o Philadelphia's Bastille Day, held at Eastern State Penitentiary, involves Marie Antoinette throwing locally manufactured Tastykakes at the Parisian militia, as well as a re-enactment of the storming of the Bastille. o Sacramento, California conducts annual "waiter races" in the midtown restaurant and shopping district, with a street festival. o San Francisco has a large celebration in the city's historic French Quarter in downtown.

o Seattle's Bastille Day Celebration, held at the Seattle Center, involves performances, picnics, wine and shopping. o St. Louis has annual festivals in both the Soulard neighborhood and the former French village of Carondelet, Missouri which include reenactments of the beheading of Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI, as well as reconstructed French fur trading posts.

One-time celebrations

 1979: A concert with Jean Michel Jarre on the Place de la Concorde in Paris attracted one million people, securing an entry in the Guinness Book of Records for the largest crowd at an outdoor concert.  1989: France celebrated the 200th anniversary of the French Revolution, notably with a monumental show on the Champs-Élysées in Paris, directed by French designer Jean-Paul

Goude. President François Mitterrand acted as host for invited world leaders.  1990: A concert with Jarre was held at La Défense in Paris.  1994: The military parade was opened by Euro corps, a newly created European army unit including German soldiers. This was the first time German troops entered in France since 1944, sealing the definitive Franco-German reconciliation.  1995: A concert with Jarre was held at the Eiffel Tower in Paris.  1998: Two days after the French football team became World Cup champions, huge celebrations took place nationwide.  2004: To commemorate the centenary of the Entente Cordiale, the British led the military parade with the Red Arrows flying overhead.  2007: To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome, the military parade was led by troops from the 26 other EU member states, all marching at the French time.

 2014: To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the beginning to the First World War, representatives of 80 countries who fought during this conflict were invited to the ceremony. The military parade was opened by 80 flags representing each of these countries.

Bastille Day in France

Quick Facts

Bastille Day is an occasion to honor the French Republic. It is a public holiday in France.

Local names

Name Language La fête nationale French Bastille Day English Nationalfeiertag German

Bastille Day 2014

Monday, July 14, 2014

Bastille Day 2015

Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Bastille Day is a day of celebrations of French culture. Many large-scale public events are held, including a military parade in Paris, as well as communal meals, dances, parties and fireworks.

What do people do?

Many people attend large-scale public celebrations. These often include:

 Military and civilian parades.  Musical performances.  Communal meals.  Dances.  Balls.  Spectacular fireworks displays.

There is a large military parade in Paris in the morning of July 14. Service men and women from various units, including cadets from military schools, the French Navy and the French Foreign Legion, participate in the parade. The parade ends with the Paris Fire Brigade. Military aircraft fly over the parade route during the parade. The French president opens the parade and reviews the troops and thousands of people line the route. Other people spend the day quietly and eat a celebratory meal or picnic with family and close friends.

Public life

Bastille Day is a public holiday in France so post offices, banks, and many businesses are closed. Restaurants and cafes outside of tourist areas may also be closed. However, bakeries and some stores in Paris, as well as at airports and railway stations and along major highways, are open.

Public transport service schedules vary depending on where one lives and intends to travel. Roads in the centers of villages, towns and cities (particularly in

Paris) may be closed for parades and other large public events.

Background

The Bastille is a medieval fortress and prison in Paris. Many people in France associated it with the harsh rule of the Bourbon monarchy in the late 1700s. On July 14, 1789, troops stormed the Bastille. This was a pivotal event at the beginning of the French Revolution. Fête de la Fédération was held on July 14, 1790. This was a way to celebrate the establishment of a constitutional monarchy in France.

Official celebrations were held in Paris on June 30, 1878, to honor the Republic of France. On July 14, 1879, more official celebrations were held. These included a military review in Longchamp near Paris and celebrations all over the country. A politician named Benjamin Raspail proposed that July 14 should become a holiday in France in 1880. The law was enacted on July 6, 1880. Bastille Day was a public holiday for the first time on July 14, 1880.

The military parade in Paris has been held every year since 1880, except during World War II. The Free French Forces paraded on this date in London, England from 1940 until 1944. Jean Michel Jarre held a concert in Paris that attracted one million people, then the largest recorded crowd at an outdoor concert, in 1979. Special celebrations were held for the 200th anniversary of the French revolution in 1989. The French football team became world champions on July 12, 1998. This sparked celebrations throughout France on Bastille Day.

Bastille Day celebrations are held in French communities and the Institut de France around the world. Such events in the United States are held in Milwaukee, Minneapolis, New York City, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Seattle. There are festivals of French culture in Franschhoek, South Africa, and Hungary.

Symbols

The Eiffel Tower in Paris and the French national flag, or tricolor, are important symbols of Bastille Day. The French national flag is one-and-a-half times as wide as it is tall. It consists of three vertical bands of equal width colored blue, white and red. The same colors are displayed in bunting and banners of many shapes on Bastille Day. People may also wear clothing or face paint in these colors.

Bastille Day Observances

Select another year-range:

Weekday Date Year Name Holiday type Sat Jul 14 1990 Bastille Day National holiday Sun Jul 14 1991 Bastille Day National holiday Tue Jul 14 1992 Bastille Day National holiday Wed Jul 14 1993 Bastille Day National holiday Thu Jul 14 1994 Bastille Day National holiday Fri Jul 14 1995 Bastille Day National holiday

Weekday Date Year Name Holiday type Sun Jul 14 1996 Bastille Day National holiday Mon Jul 14 1997 Bastille Day National holiday Tue Jul 14 1998 Bastille Day National holiday Wed Jul 14 1999 Bastille Day National holiday Fri Jul 14 2000 Bastille Day National holiday Sat Jul 14 2001 Bastille Day National holiday Sun Jul 14 2002 Bastille Day National holiday Mon Jul 14 2003 Bastille Day National holiday Wed Jul 14 2004 Bastille Day National holiday Thu Jul 14 2005 Bastille Day National holiday Fri Jul 14 2006 Bastille Day National holiday Sat Jul 14 2007 Bastille Day National holiday Mon Jul 14 2008 Bastille Day National holiday Tue Jul 14 2009 Bastille Day National holiday Wed Jul 14 2010 Bastille Day National holiday Thu Jul 14 2011 Bastille Day National holiday Sat Jul 14 2012 Bastille Day National holiday Sun Jul 14 2013 Bastille Day National holiday

Weekday Date Year Name Holiday type Mon Jul 14 2014 Bastille Day National holiday Tue Jul 14 2015 Bastille Day National holiday Thu Jul 14 2016 Bastille Day National holiday Fri Jul 14 2017 Bastille Day National holiday Sat Jul 14 2018 Bastille Day National holiday Sun Jul 14 2019 Bastille Day National holiday Tue Jul 14 2020 Bastille Day National holiday

Bastille Day

The French celebrate their Fourth of July

Americans have The 4th of July; the French have Bastille Day. On July 14, 1789, an outraged group of Parisians stormed the Bastille, a fortress and prison in France where prisoners of influence were held, in hopes of capturing ammunition.

Shortly thereafter, King Louis XVI and his wife Marie Antoinette took refuge in Versailles as the violent peasants pillaged and burned châteaux, and destroyed

26 records of feudal dues—this reaction is known as the grande peur (great fear).

For the peasant class, the Bastille stood as a symbol of the hypocrisy and corruption of the aristocratic government - controlled mostly by nobility and clergy. This important event marked the entry of the popular class into the French Revolution.

The French recognize Bastille Day as the end of the monarchy and beginning of the modern republic. The lasting significance of the event was in its recognition that power could be held by ordinary citizens, not in the king or in God.

Today, Parisians celebrate this national holiday with a grand military parade up the Champs Elysées, colorful arts festivals, and raucous parties marking the holiday. Uncork a bottle of wine, pop in a Jacques Dutronc CD, and join the celebration!

BASTILLE DAY IN FRANCE

Celebrated on July, 14, Bastille Day is the French national day and the most important bank holiday in France! Setting the storming of the Bastille in 1789 as an essential part of the French History. The 14th July has become a major public holiday, traditionally considered as the symbol of the French Revolution.

The French Bastille Day is definitely a joyous national day that causes popular celebrations in the streets as well as political events.

The best way to experience the 14 July bank holiday - widely known as Le 14 Juillet - is to go to Paris, more precisely on the Champs Elysees. Expect military parades, public speeches and fireworks, but also convivial gatherings in all cafés and restaurants!

Every single town in France actually commemorates the Bastille Day with excitement and pride as this national

29 day represents the first step to the French Revolution which eventually led France to Republic. On July, 14, patriotic feelings break out throughout the country, French people wear blue, white and red, "tricolore" clothes or make-up and sing the typical Marseillaise (the French anthem) after one - or more! - glasses of Champagne!

Bastille Day in Paris...

Beginning in the morning of the 14th July, on the Champs Elysées in Paris, Bastille Day is the opportunity to admire the French military. Saint Cyr and Polytechnique cadets parade, along with official troops, whilst the French Air Force, Patrouille de France, carry out flying in the sky.

Top Tip!

A popular custom on Basttille day in Paris is going for a friendly picnic in a public park, socialising, enjoying French food and wine, before watching the fireworks from the Place de la Concorde for example.

In many French villages, people traditionally get together on July, 13 to enjoy a typical Barbecue and sing and dance all night long - taking the advantage of the relaxing public holiday the day after!

The President of the Republic normally attends all the Parisian festivities and ends the 14th July ceremonies with a public interview from the Elysée (Predisent's official residence).

French National Day

The well-known storming of the Bastille has become a benchmark in terms of Revolt and Liberty all over the world!

Referring to July 14 1789, when a massive crowd of Frenchmen rose up and invaded the prison, Bastille Day is considered the beginning of the French Revolution. Capturing this prison, a symbol of the Ancient Regime, indeed marked the end of Louis XVI's absolute and arbitrary power and led France to the three ideals of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity. Bastille Day has been

31 known and celebrated as the creation of the Sovereign Nation and what would be the "First" Republic of France (in 1792).

Bastille Day became the National Holiday in 1790, originally called Fête de la Fédération ("federation feast"), to celebrate the first anniversary of the storming of the Bastille and the end of the French Revolution.

ALLIANCE FRANÇAISE

The Alliance française (French pronunciation : [aljɑ̃s fʁɑ̃sɛz], French Alliance), or AF, is an international organization that aims to promote French language and culture around the world. Created in Paris on 21 July 1883, its primary concern is teaching French as a second language and is headquartered in Paris.

History

The Alliance was created in Paris on 21 July 1883 by a group of eminent men, including the scientist Louis Pasteur, the diplomat Ferdinand de Lesseps, the writers Jules Verne and Ernest Renan, and the publisher Armand Colin.

It finances most of its activities from the fees it receives from its courses and from rental of its installations. The French government also provides a subsidy covering approximately five percent of its budget (nearly 665,000 € in 2003)

More than 440,000 students learn French at one of the centres run by the Alliance, whose network of schools includes:

 a centre in Paris, Alliance française Paris Ile-de- France  locations throughout France for foreign students and  1,016 locations in 135 countries.

The organizations outside Paris are local, independently run franchises. Each has a committee and a president. The Alliance française brand is owned by the Paris centre. In many countries, the Alliance française of Paris is represented by a Délégué général. The French Government also runs 150 separate French Cultural Institutes that exist to promote French language and culture.

Recognition

In 2005, along with the Società Dante Alighieri, the British Council, the Goethe-Institut, the Instituto

Cervantes, and the Instituto Camões, the Alliance française was awarded the Prince of Asturias Award for outstanding achievements in communications and the humanities.

By country

The Alliance française Paris Ile-de-France is a Higher Private Education Institute. It is an association from the law 1901. Located in the heart of the capital, the Alliance française Paris Ile-de-France is a genuine international meeting point where more than 11,000 students from 160 different countries come every year to learn French. It is also the oldest one since the school offers courses in Paris since 1894.

The 110 faculty teachers at the Alliance française Paris Ile-de-France are all certified in teaching French as a foreign language.

Until 2007, the year of creation of the Alliance française Foundation, the Alliance française Paris Ile-de-France was called "the Paris Alliance française".

It was divided into three branches: the International Relations (DRI), the School of Paris, and the Department of Human and Financial Resources (DRHF). In 2007, the DRI has become the Alliance française Foundation, while the School and the DRHF became the Alliance française Paris Ile-de-France.

Three conventions are now governing the relations between the Foundation and the Alliance française Paris Ile-de-France:

 a financial agreement: the Alliance française Paris Ile-de-France supports the Foundation financially.  an agreement for the premises: the Paris Alliance française donated its building in Boulevard Raspail to the Foundation at the time of the division in 2007  a teaching agreement: the Alliance française Paris Ile-de-France supports the Alliances françaises worldwide in their projects to professionalize their teaching and administrative

staff. More than 40 missions per year are made abroad.

The Alliance française Paris Ile-de-France works with Alliances françaises from around the world, ministries, public bodies, and also large companies, supporting them in their desire to improve their command of the language in a professional environment.

It is also a training center for French language teachers. Each year, nearly 2,300 teachers across the world are trained on site or remotely, initial or continuing training.

It delivers specific diplomas for French teachers such as the ‘DAEFLE’ (Diplôme d'Aptitude à l'Enseignement du Français Langue Étrangère), created with the ‘CNED’ (National Center for Distance Education) or the ‘DPAFP – FLE’ (Diplôme Professionnel de l’Alliance Française Paris Ile-de-France en Français Langue Étrangère), which you obtain in five months after an initial training on site.

It also offers summer teaching courses for French teachers wishing to deepen and improve their knowledge. The Alliance française Paris Ile-de-France has been awarded the FLE Quality Label, achieving top marks for each of the criteria studied by the auditors: welcome, quality of teaching, premises, school management.

It is also co-founder of ALTE (Association of Language Testers in Europe), an association that includes some of the most prestigious European institutions in the field of evaluation in foreign language.

Since 2010, it is the provider of the ‘OFII’ (French Office for Immigration and Integration) for language training of the signatories of the Contract Integration living in Paris.

Africa

 Botswana 1  Comoros 3  Ethiopia 2 (Addis Ababa and Dire Dawa)

 Ghana 4  Kenya 2  Lesotho 1  Madagascar 29  Mauritius 6  Mozambique 1  Namibia 1  Nigeria 10  Southern Africa 13 (Alliance Française of Port Elizabeth)  Swaziland 1  Tanzania  Uganda 1  Zimbabwe 1

Americas

 Argentina there are 72 partnerships with 16,000 students forming a network is considered one of the largest and oldest in the world. In Rosario, Buenos Aires, Córdoba, Campana, Santa Fe, Mendoza.

 Bermuda has 1 Alliance Française.  Bolivia has 5 Alliances Françaises in all the main centers of population: Cochabamba, La Paz, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Sucre, Tarija.  Brazil There are many Alliances Françaises in many cities in Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Niterói...  Canada has 12 Alliances Françaises from coast to coast: Victoria, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Toronto (one in Downtown and one in North York), Mississauga, Markham Ottawa, Moncton, Halifax.  Colombia has more than 20 Alliances Françaises in 16 cities.  Costa Rica has 3 Alliances Françaises, the first in Barrio Amón, in the East side of the capital San José and another two, one in La Sabana (West side of the capital) and also in Heredia, another province of Costa Rica.  Dominica has 1 Alliance Française, in the capital city, Roseau.

 Dominican Republic has 4 Alliance Françaises, one in the capital city, Santo Domingo, and others in Santiago, Mao and Monte Cristi.  Ecuador has 5 Alliances Françaises, located in the capital city of Quito and in the cities of Cuenca, Guayaquil, Loja and Portoviejo.  El Salvador has 1 Alliance Française Centre in the capital city, San Salvador.  Grenada has 1 Alliance Française in Saint George's  Honduras has 2 Alliance Françaises, one located in Tegucigalpa and the other in San Pedro Sula.  Mexico has 38 Alliance Française organizations throughout the country and 12 affiliated centers.  Nicaragua has 3 Alliance Française Centre, in the capital city, Managua and others in León and Granada  Panama has 1 Alliance Française organization.  Paraguay has 2 Alliance Française organization throughout the country.  Peru has 12 Alliance Française organizations, 6 in the capital city, Lima and others in Trujillo,

Arequipa, Iquitos, Cusco, Piura, Huancayo and Iquitos.  Puerto Rico has 1 Alliance Française, located in the capital city of San Juan.  Trinidad and Tobago has 1 main centre located in the capital city, Port of Spain, with additional classes on offer in San Fernando and Tobago.  United States have 111 chapters in 45 states, including Alliance Française de Washington, Alliance Française de Chicago, and Alliance Française de San Francisco.  Venezuela, has 12 Alliance Française, 5 in the capital city Caracas, and in several others states of Venezuela.

Asia and Oceania

Alliance Française de Taiwan

 Australia has thirty-one Alliance Française organizations.  Bangladesh has two Alliance Française organizations, in Dhaka (Alliance Française de

Dhaka, three branches located in Dhanmondi, Gulshan and Uttara) and in Chittagong  Brunei Darussalam  China has fifteen Alliance Française organizations: Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Dalian, Tianjin, Qingdao, Jinan, Chengdu, Wuhan, Chongqing, Hangzhou, Xian, and Nanjing.  Hong Kong has three Alliance Française organizations, one in Wanchai, one in Jordan and another one in Shatin. Alliance Française de Hong Kong was created in 1953.  There are 19 Alliances Françaises located in India (Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Bhopal, Chandigarh, Chennai (Alliance Française de Madras), Coimbatore, Goa, Gurgaon, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Karikal, Kolkata, Mahé, Mumbai, New Delhi, Pondicherry, Pune, Mysore, Trivandrum)  Indonesia has 4 Alliances Françaises located in Medan, Balikpapan, Semarang and Denpasar.  Macau

 Malaysia has 3 centres in the capital Kuala Lumpur and one in Penang.  Maldives has 1 center in capital city Malé  Mongolia  Nepal  New Zealand has three Alliance Française organizations. The Alliance Française d'Auckland has 900 members.  In Pakistan there are four Alliance Françaises located in Karachi (Alliance Française de Karachi), Lahore, Faisalabad and Islamabad.  The Philippines has Alliance Française de Cebu located in Cebu City, and Alliance Française de Manille located in Makati City.  Singapore has an Alliance Française located in Newton.  South Korea has seven Alliance Française organizations: Seoul, Incheon, Daejeon, Jeonju, Gwangju, Daegu, and Busan.  Sri Lanka has Alliance Française de Kotte located in Colombo, and Alliance Française de Kandy in Kandy.

 Thailand has its main centre in Bangkok and branches in Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, and in the city of Phuket.

Europe

 Albania has four Alliance Française organization located in Tirana, Korça, Shkodra and Elbasan.  Armenia has one Alliance Française organization located in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia.  Croatia has one Alliance Française organization located in Zagreb, the capital of Croatia.  Iceland has one Alliance Française organization located in Reykjavik.  Ireland has six Alliance Française organizations. Dublin, the capital of Ireland, is home to the third largest Alliance in Europe. There is also a location in Cork, Ireland's second city. Alliance Française de Cork also organises the Cork French Film Festival.

Other locations in Ireland include Galway, Kilkenny, Limerick and Waterford, which also has a branch in Wexford.

 Malta has one Alliance Francaise organization located in Floriana.  Moldova has one Alliance Française organization located in Chişinău, the capital of Moldova.  Romania has three Alliance Française organizations located in Braşov, Constanţa, Piteşti and Ploieşti.  Spain has twenty Alliance Française organizations located all over the country, promoted by the Cultural Services of the French Embassy in Spain.  Turkey has one Alliance Française organization located in Adana.  United Kingdom has eleven Alliance Française organizations. The first Alliance Française organization in the UK was located in London, which traces its roots back to 1884. During WWII, the London location served as the

international headquarters of Alliance Française when the Paris location was closed.

Other locations in the British Isles include Bristol-Bath, Cambridge, Exeter, Glasgow, Jersey, Manchester, Milton-Keynes, Newscastle- upon-tyne, Oxford and York.