France issued a red alert for the heatwave across more than a third of the country for Sunday, also banning the consumption of alcohol during the annual Fete de la Musique festivities that day. The ferocious heatwave, which began earlier this week, has disrupted the country, forcing the cancellation of dozens of trains and the suspension of classes. Authorities are concerned about how the annual Fete de la Musique celebrations will unfold across the country Sunday, when musicians take over the streets with free performances and revellers party into the night.”Very high temperatures are settling in for the long term across the country,” Meteo-France said as it announced the highest heatwave warning for 35 of France’s departments, or administrative regions, for Sunday — the most ever.
And Meteo-France is predicting that starting Monday temperatures could reach 41C (106F) in some places, and that the average reading across the whole country could reach its highest ever. It also said the duration of the heatwave was “uncertain”. Paris is one of the regions on the red-alert list, which covers a wide area running south-west from the capital. According to AFP’s calculations, more than three-quarters of the mainland’s population will suffer from the heat Sunday, with another 45 departments under orange alert.
On Saturday, the government said that alcohol consumption during the annual street festivals would be banned in departments under the heatwave red alert.”Prefects will issue decrees banning alcohol consumption in public spaces in the departments under red alert,” the government said in a statement following a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu.”For all events organised by the state and its agencies, instructions have been given not to offer alcohol,” said his office.
The government has called for limits on alcohol consumption “to preserve emergency and healthcare services and allow medical staff to focus on caring for the most vulnerable”. To help Parisians and tourists cope with the heat, authorities are keeping parks and gardens in the French capital open through the night.
Sat, 20 Jun 2026 19:22:13 GMT