Most Francophiles know about July 14, Bastille Day. But they don’t always know about July 13, the night of le bal des sapeurs-pompiers (the firemen’s ball). This Monday, all around France, firefighters will host their annual fundraising fête for anybody who wants to join l’équipe in drinking, dancing and perhaps nibbling a merguez sausage or two until the wee hours.

The boots (see above) come off for this often-raucous event that, depending on the firehouse, might feature handsomepompiers performing rehearsed — or impromptu — stripteases. The first year I attended, I went to the firehouse in the Marais, where it seemed all of the single women and men in le quartier had gathered in order to find a fireman to call their very own. Alas, given the ratio of pompiers to citoyens, most attendees went home disappointed.