France bans public alcohol consumption at Fête de la Musique amid intense heatwave
Red weather warnings remain in place for more than one-third of the country
French authorities introduced restrictions on public alcohol consumption over the weekend due to the intense heatwave currently sweeping across Europe. The ban impacted events including countrywide free street festival Fête de la Musique on Sunday, as well as various sporting events.
Founded in 1982, Fête de la Musique (also known as Make Music Day) is an annual music festival held around the time of the summer solstice, which fell on Sunday 21st June this year. Originally focused on Paris, the concept has since spread across France and other countries, with musicians performing in various public spaces for free.
However, with temperatures reaching 41°C in some parts of France during this year’s festivities, authorities introduced a temporary ban on alcohol in many participating parks, squares and open-air venues in order to reduce the risk of dehydration, sunstroke and anti-social behaviour. Several towns were also forced to cancel pre-7PM performances or move them indoors, according to the BBC .
Warnings have additionally been issued about attempting to cool off in bodies of water, with 13 drowning deaths reported in three days.
Red heat alerts remain in place for more than one-third of the France this week, with the highest temperatures expected in western areas and little respite forecast until the weekend or later. Around 75% of the population, about 53 million people, live in areas at risk from extreme heat in the coming days, which are expected to be more severe than May’s heatwave, when some areas reached 39°C.
Vulnerable people have been advised to avoid rail travel amid a slew of service reductions by operators. Meanwhile, 845 schools are closed in France today, with a further 1,800 closing early as a result of the weather conditions.
Neighbouring Belgium is also bracing itself for record-breaking temperatures and has introduced similar measures, while the UK is expected to experience similarly intense conditions, with the Met Office forecasting very high temperatures until at least Thursday (25th June) and a chance of a new June record.
Rising temperatures are reportedly being driven by hot air from the Sahara moving north and trapping heat over western and central Europe, with forecasters warning the conditions could lead to one of the longest heatwaves in recent years.
