Bastille Day — known in French as “La Fête Nationale” or simply “le 14 juillet” — is France’s national holiday, celebrated each year on July 14. Bastille Day is also prominently featured on the Rush pinball machine! Want to more about Bastille Day and the Rush connection? Hey, keep reading!
What does Bastille Day celebrate?
Bastille Day celebrates two main milestones in French history.
1. The Storming of the Bastille (July 14, 1789)
The Bastille was a fortress and prison in Paris, used by the monarchy to detain political prisoners. On July 14, 1789, revolutionaries stormed it, demanding weapons and the release of prisoners. Though only 7 prisoners were inside, the fall of the Bastille symbolized the people’s uprising against absolute monarchy and tyranny. It marked the beginning of the French Revolution.
2. The Fête de la Fédération (July 14, 1790)
One year later, on the same day, France held a massive festival to celebrate national unity and the new constitutional monarchy. King Louis XVI even participated, swearing allegiance to the new order.
While Bastille Day (July 14) is not an official holiday in Canada, it is celebrated in parts of the country — especially in places with strong French cultural ties, like Quebec, Montreal, and some Franco-Canadian communities.
The Rush/Bastille Day Connection
There’s no Canadian band with stronger French cultural ties than Pinball Land favorite Rush! They even wrote a song about Bastille Day – called Bastille Day – and it was even incorporated into the Rush pinball machine!
Why did Rush write Bastille Day? For a few reasons! First, Rush wasn’t literally celebrating French history — they were channeling the spirit of revolution while acknowledging their cultural roots.
The storming of the Bastille was a dramatic turning point where ordinary people rose up against an unjust monarchy. Rush used it as a powerful metaphor for tearing down corrupt systems. Rush drummer and lyricist Neil Peart was known for writing about philosophy, freedom, and individualism. Bastille Day aligns with his broader themes of defiance against authority, the fight for liberty and empowerment of the individual.
How is Bastille Day In The Rush Pinball Machine?
On the Rush pinball machine, Bastille Day is one of 16 tracks featured as select-able background music. The sound is also embedded in the gameplay as a mode called the Bastille Day Hurry‑Up.
How to Start Bastille Day:
Complete the RUSH standup targets on the right-side of the playfield, then shoot the right ramp to start Bastille Day Hurry-Up. The hurry-up values start at 2 million points each, plus a little extra for each time the individual R-U-S-H target had been hit prior to starting, and are additive – meaning that each hurry-up you collect adds themselves to the value of the next one. The values can also be increased by 2 million by shooting the right ramp. Winning the mode by scoring all four hurry-ups will add +1 year to the time machine and increase the hurry-up values for the next round by 2 million.
Every time the Bastille Day Hurry-Up is started, more completions of the RUSH targets will be required to light it again, shown in the UI as the red number fraction by the RUSH targets.
Two completions of the RUSH targets lights a ball save at either outlane, which can be changed using the flippers.
Thank you to Tilt Forums for this detailed, accurate description of these game rules! Check out this page for even more tips and tricks for the Rush pinball machine!
Celebrate Bastille Day with Rush Every Year!
So, when you hear Bastille Day play on the Rush pinball machine remember that it’s more than a song. It’s a key gameplay feature, blending Rush’s music with action-packed scoring. There is a nice synergy between theming, music, sound and play mechanics and that’s what pinball is all about!
