France's street music festivals go ahead despite extreme heat and alcohol ban

Every year on 21 June, musicians fill French bars, street corners and rooftops late into the night.

But this year the Fête de la Musique coincides with a ferocious heatwave, with a record 35 departments – roughly a third of the country – placed under the highest heat alert.

Weather service Météo-France warned that temperatures could reach as high as 41C in some places.

To minimise health risks and prevent potential disturbances to public order, the government announced a ban on public alcohol consumption in departments under red alert.

Another 45 departments are on the second-highest orange alert, and some have also opted to impose a ban on street drinking.

While urging people to limit their alcohol intake, the government said it would be up to local event organisers to adapt festivities. Authorities have instructed that alcohol not be served at state-organised events. 

What is France's heatwave warning system and how does it work?

Drowning danger

Last year, around 2 million people attended the Fête de la Musique in Paris alone, many of them travelling from the UK.

Authorities will deploy 4,800 police officers and gendarmes, along with 2,500 firefighters, to enforce public safety in and around the capital.

Gatherings along the lower banks of the River Seine will be prohibited to reduce the risk of people falling into the water.

Officials warned about risks linked to swimming, with reports of several drownings on Saturday. 

Two children aged 11 and 13 died after swimming in a river in Besançon, while a 17-year-old drowned the same day in the River Dordogne. Police patrol the Canal Saint-Martin in Paris on 17 June 2026. Authorities have struggled to stop people swimming outside designated times and areas.

The fire brigade has deployed 250,000 officers nationwide to help with the heat emergency.

Some French trains were cancelled on Sunday, and national rail company SNCF urged vulnerable members of the public not to travel if possible.

The government announced reinforced wildfire readiness and ordered tightened surveillance of water supplies to France's nuclear reactors.

French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu convened a government heat crisis meeting on Sunday, the second in two days. He has ordered ministers to study ways to adapt France to heatwaves in the future, including through wider use of air conditioning.

France's green party, the Ecologists, on Sunday launched a petition calling for the introduction of paid "climate leave" of up to five days a year to help protect workers in the face of increasing frequent weather emergencies. 

(with newswires)