Which pandemic forced the cancellation of the 2020 Bastille Day military parade?

The COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of the traditional 2020 Bastille Day military parade format. France replaced the normal Champs-Élysées procession with a much smaller ceremony at the Place de la Concorde.

The parade was not abandoned altogether: aircraft still took part in a flypast, and a reduced number of personnel participated in the ceremony. The usual mobile column was omitted, and public health restrictions shaped the event.

Bastille Day is celebrated on 14 July and commemorates both the 1789 storming of the Bastille and the Fête de la Fédération held in 1790. The modern military parade has been held in Paris since 1880, making the 2020 change especially notable.

A common mix-up is saying that the entire national holiday was canceled. The holiday continued, but the pandemic canceled or sharply curtailed its customary mass military spectacle.