PARIS, FRANCE
Bastille Day celebrations on 14 July ring the starting bell on the French summer. One tradition on the night before and the day itself is the firemen’s ball, when fire stations open to the public for dancing until the small hours. Paris is the centre of the action, and although many Parisians stream out of the capital shortly afterwards for their summer holidays, the ones who stay behind are not left out. The Paris Plages phenomenon sees promenades along the River Seine turned into beaches with bona fide sand, parasols, pétanque and palm trees.
PHOTOGRAPHS: AMBLIN ENTERTAINMENT/UNIVERSAL PICTURES; OWEN FRANKEN/GETTY IMAGES; BRUNO DE HOGUES/GETTY IMAGES; OLIVER SMALLEY PHOTOGRAPHY/GETTY IMAGES