France imposed a ban on public drinking in parts of Paris on Sunday as a record-breaking heatwave collided with the country’s biggest street music festival, the Fête de la Musique. Temperatures in Bordeaux had already hit 40C, and authorities warned they could match historic highs on Monday, when red alerts cover around half the country, including the capital.
Along the popular Canal Saint-Martin, consumption of stronger alcoholic drinks was banned from 8 a.m. on stretches of Quai de Valmy and Quai de Jemmapes, with takeaway sales of the same categories banned from 1 p.m. Licensed restaurants and bars were exempt. Further along the Seine, authorities banned the consumption, possession and transport of alcoholic drinks – and all beverages in glass containers – from 8 a.m. across riverside zones spanning several arrondissements, the Île de la Cité and Île Saint-Louis.
“France bans public drinking in Paris as record heatwave and festival raise heatstroke fears”
The measures are part crowd-control and part public-health warning, Paris police said, noting that street drinking has contributed to disturbances, noise and violence, with more than 1,000 fines issued under earlier alcohol rules in 2025. But the immediate trigger is the convergence of mass outdoor festivities and dangerous heat. Medical authorities recommend avoiding alcohol during severe heat because it worsens dehydration and interferes with the body’s ability to regulate temperature, raising the risk of heatstroke.
The prime minister’s office said it had given instructions not to offer alcohol at state-organised events, aiming “to preserve emergency and healthcare services and allow medical staff to focus on caring for the most vulnerable”. The restrictions came as the heatwave, driven by hot air moving north from the Sahara, disrupted government services across France, forcing the cancellation of dozens of trains and the suspension of classes. National authorities put wildfire crews on alert and urged organisers in red-alert zones to reduce alcohol consumption so medics could focus on the most vulnerable.
Italian authorities issued red alerts for eight cities, including Bologna, Florence, Milan and Turin, while Spain’s weather agency warned of temperatures hitting 40C across large parts of the country. Germany’s weather service issued heat and storm warnings as temperatures climbed into the mid-30s Celsius.
To help Parisians and tourists cope with the heat, authorities kept parks and gardens open through the night. The Fête de la Musique, held for more than 40 years on the summer solstice, last year drew about two million people to events in Paris alone. But Météo-France said it was “uncertain” how long the heatwave, which has been estimated to affect about three quarters of the population, would last.