The year that marked the bicentenary of the storming of the Bastille was 1989.
The Bastille was stormed by Parisian insurgents on 14 July 1789, an event that became a defining symbol of the French Revolution. Two hundred years later, France commemorated the anniversary with nationwide ceremonies, exhibitions, performances and large public celebrations.
The 1989 bicentenary was broader than a single anniversary of the prison fortress. It celebrated the French Revolution as a whole, including the revolutionary ideals associated with liberty, citizenship and popular sovereignty. Paris hosted especially prominent events, including the inauguration of the Opéra Bastille and Jean-Paul Goude's grand 14 July parade.
A common mix-up is assuming Bastille Day commemorates only the fortress's military capture. France's national day also recalls the Fête de la Fédération held on 14 July 1790, the first anniversary of the uprising. Nevertheless, 1989 is the unmistakable bicentenary year because it falls exactly two centuries after the storming in 1789.