Nearly two-thirds of France was under an orange heatwave alert on Saturday as a heatwave swept across much of Europe, forcing crisis talks in France and warnings in Germany while temperatures climbed toward record levels. Sixty departments in France were on orange heatwave alert, affecting 41 million people, with the heat expected to persist over mainland France through the weekend and into next week.
Who Pays First
The people at the bottom of the hierarchy were the first to be told to adjust. Across France, schools and construction sites were changing hours or closing altogether as the heat intensified. Municipalities such as Biarritz and Limoges called for vulnerable people to be entered on local registers so authorities could maintain contact and check they had everything they needed to cope with the soaring temperatures. In other words, the machinery of governance was mobilized to keep track of those most exposed while the conditions themselves remained in place.
The scale of the alert was not abstract. Forty-one million people were affected by the orange warning, and temperatures were expected to top 30C across the country on Saturday, with some spots possibly passing 40C on Sunday and into next week. The heatwave sweeping across France this week could produce similar conditions to August 2003, when extreme heat led to the deaths of more than 14,800 people.
What the Authorities Are Managing
In Paris, parks were open 24 hours a day, and the mayor, Emmanuel Grégoire, questioned whether to go ahead with the Fête de la Musique festival, which was scheduled for Sunday. Grégoire said on Friday evening, “The combination of alcohol, heat and proximity to water are three risk factors that do not sit well together. So we would like to remove at least one of the three, but we will see in which way we do that.”
The Paris police prefect, Patrice Faure, requested the cancellation of 11 outdoor sporting events planned for the weekend. The city was also preparing for a street party of unprecedented scale on Sunday, as more than 2 million people were expected to gather for the Fête de la Musique amid a huge influx of music fans from the UK and warnings of record temperatures. France’s annual free street music festival, which has been running for more than 40 years, has grown into the country’s largest cultural event.
What was previously a nationwide showcase for local and amateur talent, from village choirs to classical ensembles and techno acts in the capital, has evolved into a vast international open-air celebration. Last year, Paris welcomed a sudden and unexpected rush of music fans from the UK and other neighbouring countries after word spread on social media, creating an impromptu festival attended by about 2 million people.
Order, Safety, and the Cleanup
Lamia El Aaraje, Paris’s deputy mayor, said “calls to all of Europe’s youth to come and party” in the city had transformed the event into “a kind of massive rave”. She added: “Last year there was an impact on the public space, there were excesses, incidents, lots of sexual violence. We had a large clean-up issue afterwards so this year we wanted to mobilise ahead of time to secure the event.”
After reports of sexual violence last year, including some women and men who reported being pricked with syringes, authorities adopted a zero-tolerance approach. Special cordoned-off safe spaces for women and disabled people were to operate in key locations, including near city hall and Bastille, staffed by specialist support teams trained to deal with sexual violence complaints.
Paris city hall also warned international visitors about the dangers of canals and waterways. Last month, during celebrations after Paris Saint-Germain’s Champions League final victory over Arsenal, two people died in the Seine. One had a cardiac arrest after jumping in the river, while another was later found dead.
The city was also bracing for the practical consequences of hosting such vast crowds. Last year’s event generated so much litter that refuse teams needed two weeks to clear it. Thousands of additional bins and recycling points were installed across Paris for the weekend, while officials urged visitors to use the city’s 600 round-the-clock public toilets rather than urinate in the street. About 1,400 water fountains were available as Paris contended with heatwave conditions.
Pierre Rabadan, the city hall official responsible for tourism and nightlife, said: “The DNA of Fête de la Musique is kindness and lots of people. It’s a party that is responsible, joyous, happy and cosmopolitan. That’s all we want in Paris.”