Every July, Firemen's Balls - Bals des Pompiers - become hot spots of Bastille Day revelry at fire stations and other special venues across Paris as well as the rest of France.  There's no better way to celebrate la Fête Nationale!

You'll enjoy lots of fun and Champagne (or beer), meet and mingle with real Parisians, and get to ogle (oops, admire) the attractive and very physically fit members of the elite Paris Fire Brigade.

Normally the Bals des Pompiers take place on July 13 and 14, but when the 14th falls on a Sunday - which it does this year - the schedule moves up by a day because  the parties often end around 4am, which would make staggering into work on Monday morning highly unpleasant.

If you're lucky enough to be in Paris on July 12 and 13, put one or more of these famous all-night parties on your calendar. 

Find out about all the other big Bastille Day festivities, including the parade & fireworks at the Eiffel Tower

Find the best places to watch the Bastille Day fireworks in Paris

Top photo: Bal des Pompiers at Arenes de Lutece, (c) Paris Discovery Guide

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What to Expect at a Bal des Pompiers

Musicians on stage at a Bal des Pompiers 
Musicians on stage at a Bal des Pompiers 

The Paris Fire Brigade dates back to 1793, just four short years after the storming of the Bastille, and in 1810 Napoleon Bonaparte decreed it to be a military unit of the French Army devoted to the safety of Paris after a particularly devastating fire burned for 23 hours.

Today, the Paris Fire Brigade includes about 8,700 men and women, making it the largest fire brigade in Europe and third largest in the world.  They respond to about half a million interventions each year involving fires, explosions, floods, and accidents.

Although Paris Fire Brigade members typically march twice in the huge Bastille Day Parade along the Champs Élysées on July 14 - once on foot and once in fire trucks and other vehicles - the real celebrations take place at their Firemen's Balls, a tradition that began in Paris over 100 years ago and then spread across France. 

On July 13 and/or July 14th, the main fire station (caserne) in most of the city's 20 districts throws a huge party in its courtyard (or sometimes nearby at special venue such as a mansion or Roman arena) and welcomes in the public with music, dancing, and drinking for a rousing Bastille Day celebration. 

Most of these festive soirées offer food for sale (prices are quite reasonable), huge inflated balls to toss in the air, disco lights, live bands, DJs, and perhaps other special effects.

The Bals des Pompiers at most stations begin at 9pm (a few may begin as early at 6:30pm, especially if they have music or other entertainment for kids) and finally wind down around 4am, just as the sky begins to lighten after the very short July night. 

The parties attract people of all ages, including families with babies and young children, although many of the families with small kids tend to leave by midnight. 

By afternoon, you'll begin to see the firemen move their fire trucks out of the stations and park along nearby streets to make room for party guests in the courtyards next to their barracks.

Paris fire truck parked across the street from a firehouse before a Firemen's Ball 
Paris fire truck parked across the street from afirehouse before a Firemen's Ball 

In some districts, entrance to the "barracks" gives you a glimpse of another era. 

In the 4th Arrondissement in the Marais, for example, the Sévigné Firehouse is in Hotel Chavigny, an enormous mansion built in 1265 with additions such as courtyards, gardens, and galleries added in the 1700s. 

The 5th Arrondissement fire station in the Latin Quarter hosts its Bal des Pompiers in nearby Arènes de Lutèce, a huge 1st century Roman arena totally hidden from the street by tall apartment buildings.

At the most popular locations in central Paris (for example, Arènes), you should expect to wait in line to get in - one or two hours or even more is not unusual.  Crowds are mellow and the time passes quickly. 

Once you get close to the entrance, you will need to pass through two or three security checkpoints before being admitted.  At most locations, the firemen stop letting people in at around 3am.

Crowd waiting in line for the 5th arrondissement's Bal des Pompiers held in Arènes de Lutèce
Crowd waiting in line for the 5th arrondissement's Bal des Pompiers held in Arènes de Lutèce - the line, with a 2+ hour wait time, was MUCH longer than the portion you see in this photo

Some firehouses charge a small entrance fee (usually 2€ or 3€) while others request a small donation to be dropped into a traditional barrel (you can give what you want, but 2€ - 3€ is reasonable).  Proceeds are used to improve the working conditions in the firehouses.

Occasionally, the admission fee will be larger, typically because of a special fundraiser.  For example, the Versailles caserne charges 10€, with a little of that amount going to the firehouse and the rest to a fund for children of firefighters killed in the line of duty.

Once you're finally inside, get ready to dance and have fun for the rest of the night!  The balls resemble country-style guinguettes, which are convivial outdoor summer festivals with musicians, plenty of beverages, and dancing.   

During peak hours - perhaps 11pm - 3am - most venues will be packed, which is part of the fun.  But if you don't like dense crowds, go earlier.

Champagne by the glass or bottle, beer, and non-alcoholic drinks as well as food are available for purchase at most of the parties.  But dancing is the main activity, with plenty of lively music, flashing disco lights, and other special effects, and (where space allows) huge plastic balls to toss in the air. 

Since these are Bastille Day celebrations, expect to join in periodic rousing renditions of "La Marseillaise." 

Don't know the words?  Have another glass or three of Champagne, and you will by the time you leave.

Firemen's Balls Locations and Dates for 2024

Please note: The schedule usually becomes available about a month before the event, although some of the parties don't get confirmed until almost the last minute.

More notes:  Caserne is "fire station" in French.  TBC=To Be Confirmed

Here's this year's schedule:

Firemen's Balls on July 12

  • 17th Arrondissement:  Caserne Boursault - Centre de Secours et Voie Publique, 27 Rue Boursault.  Metro:  Rome 

Firemen's Balls on July 13

  • 1st Arrondissement:  Caserne Rousseau - 21 Rue du Jour.  Metro:  Les Halles  
  • 3rd Arrondissement:  Town Hall of the Central Paris - 2 Rue Eugene Spuller, starts at 7pm with children's party; adults music starts at 9pm.   Metro: Temple - TBC
  • 4th Arrondissement:  Caserne Sévigné - 7 Rue de Sévigné.  Metro:  Saint-Paul 
  • 5th Arrondissement:  Compagnie de Commandement et de Logistique No. 5 (CCL5) - Arènes de Lutèce, 49-53 rue Monge.  Metro:  Place Monge  - TBC
  • 6th Arrondissement:  Caserne Colombier- 11 Rue du Vieux Colombier.  Metro:  Saint-Sulpice 
  • 6th Arrondissement:  La Monnaie de Paris - 11 Quai de Conti.  Metro:  Pont Neuf (walk across the bridge) to the Left Bank - TBC
  • 9th Arrondissement:  Caserne Blanche - 28 Rue Blanche.  Metro:  Trinité d'Estienne d'Orves 
  • 12th Arrondissement:  Caserne Chaligny - 26 Rue de Chaligny.  Metro:  Reuilly Diderot 
  • 13th Arrondissement:  Caserne Masséna - 3 Rue Darmesteter.  Metro:  Port d'Ivry
  • 13th Arrondissement:  Caserne Port-Royal - 53 Boulevard de Port-Royal.  Metro:  Les Gobelins; RER B: Port Royal
  • 15th Arrondissement:  Caserne Grenelle - 6 Place Violet.  Metro:  Commerce 
  • 16th Arrondissement:  Caserne Dauphine - 8 Rue Mesnil.  Metro:  Victor Hugo 
  • 18th Arrondissement:  Caserne Montmartre, 9pm - 4am - 12 Rue Carpeaux.  Metro:  Guy Moquet 
  • 19th Arrondissement:  Caserne Bitche - 2 Place de Bitche.  Metro: Crimée 
  • 19th Arrondissement:  Caserne CCL5 - Science & Industry City Museum, Parc de la Villette, 30 Avenue Corentin Cariou.  Metro: Porte de la Villette
  • 20th Arrondissement:  Caserne Ménilmontant - 47 Rue Saint-Fargeau.  Metro:  Pelleport - TBC

Firemen's Balls on July 14 

No parties on July 14 this year!

Firemen's Ball in Versailles (the town) - TBC for 2024

  • Versailles :  Caserne de Versailles, July 13, 7pm - 3am, with music, dancing, and food trucks behind the town hall, 10€ - 4 Avenue de Paris (across from the entrance to the chateau).  RER C: Versailles Chateau Rive Gauche.  Combine this experience with a visit to the Palace of Versailles, and stay overnight in order to attend the Firemen's Ball

What's the History of Firemen's Balls?

How and when did les Bals des Pompiers begin?

According to the Montmartre firefighters' website, the first firemen's ball happened spontaneously in 1937, when local residents followed them as they returned to their barracks after marching in the Fête Nationale military parade.

In the excitement of the moment, the firefighters opened the gates to their barracks and invited in the residents to continue the celebration in an impromptu party.  Everyone had so much fun that they and surrounding barracks repeated the experience on the following July 14th.  Year by year, the celebrations spread across Paris and beyond, especially after music and refreshments became part of the celebration.

However, the roots of the tradition go back to August 15, 1806, when firestations across the city opened their doors to introduce themselves to the residents of their neighborhoods not long after the French Revolution.


Getting Back to Your Hotel or Apartment after a Firemen's Ball

Important to keep in mind:  The Paris Metro stops running at about 12:30am on week nights, and about 2am on Saturdays, Sundays, and the nights before holidays such as Bastille Day - but not on the night of the holiday itself.  

In other words, if you go to one of the Firemen's Balls held on the 13th, you can stay until about 1pm and probably have enought time to walk to the nearest station and catch the metro in time to get back to your hotel or apartment. 

But, if you go on the 14th and if the following day, the 15th, isn't a Saturday or Sunday, be prepared to leave by midnight if you need to take the metro. 

Of course, buses are also an option but after around 11pm, you'll need to look for a "Noctilien" (ie, late night) bus.  The best way to find the nearest location is to use the RATP app.  It will show you what all the options are.

If you plan to take a taxi later, find the location of the nearest taxi stand location before you go.   (Pro tip:  You can often find a taxi queue near metro and RER stations - but not always.)

Ride share services such as Uber and Bolt depend on the availability of drivers.  You may be lucky - or not.

In any case, if you plan to stay at one of the parties until 4am, you may want to choose a fire station within easy walking distance of where you're staying, since taxis and ubers can be scare at that hour.

 

Want to know more about Paris's awesome Fire Brigade?  Check out their website.

Find out about all the other big Bastille Day festivities, including the parade & fireworks at the Eiffel Tower

Find the best places to watch the Bastille Day fireworks in Paris


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