Paris recently welcomed a special guest on France’s national holiday: the Olympic flame. Hundreds carried the torch through the city’s posh districts and working-class neighborhoods, adding sparkle to the Bastille Day parade.

The torch’s journey began with Colonel Thibaut Vallette, a 2016 Rio Games gold medallist, making a grand entrance on horseback. Students from Seine-Saint-Denis passed the flame to a relay before French President Emmanuel Macron. The relay featured soldiers, sailors, rescuers, and medics, all marching beneath roaring fighter jets.

BMX world champion Matthias Dandois carried the torch in front of the Eiffel Tower, sharing his emotional connection as a Paris native. About 10,000 torchbearers, including athletes and community figures, will carry the flame from Marseille to the Games’ opening ceremony on July 26.

French judoka Clarisse Agbegnenou took the flame to the Eiffel Tower’s top floor, while Francky Mbotto, a Central African Republic middle-distance runner, carried it near the Arc de Triomphe, emphasizing its message of peace.

Among the torchbearers was BTS star Jin, who drew significant crowds at the Louvre, and local garbage collector Ludovic Franceschet, who highlighted environmental awareness.

The relay provided relief from recent political turmoil and paid tribute to victims of attacks in Paris, including at the Bataclan theatre. Lassana Bathily, a hero from a kosher supermarket attack, carried the torch at the Pantheon monument.

The torch continues its journey through northern France and the Paris region before returning to the French capital, symbolizing hope and unity as the city prepares for the upcoming Summer Games.