{"id":648666,"date":"2026-06-20T09:08:08","date_gmt":"2026-06-20T09:08:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/648666\/"},"modified":"2026-06-20T09:08:08","modified_gmt":"2026-06-20T09:08:08","slug":"a-kind-of-massive-rave-paris-braces-for-2m-revellers-as-fete-de-la-musique-returns-amid-heatwave-warnings-paris","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/648666\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018A kind of massive rave\u2019: Paris braces for 2m revellers as F\u00eate de la Musique returns amid heatwave warnings | Paris"},"content":{"rendered":"

Paris is preparing for a street party of unprecedented scale on Sunday, as more than 2 million people are expected to gather for the F\u00eate de la Musique<\/a> amid a huge influx of music fans from the UK and warnings of record temperatures.<\/p>\n

France\u2019s annual free street music festival, which has been running for more than 40 years, has grown into the country\u2019s largest cultural event. What was previously a nationwide showcase for local and amateur talent \u2013 from village choirs to classical ensembles and techno acts in the capital \u2013 has evolved into a vast international open-air celebration.<\/p>\n

Last year, Paris<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n

Lamia El Aaraje, Paris\u2019s deputy mayor, said \u201ccalls to all of Europe\u2019s youth to come and party\u201d in the city had transformed the event into \u201ca kind of massive rave\u201d.<\/p>\n

She added: \u201cLast 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

The annual celebration, which originated in Paris in 1982, is now celebrated internationally on 21 June as World Music Day. Photograph: Mohammed Badra\/EPA<\/p>\n

After reports of sexual violence last year \u2013 including some women and men who reported being pricked with syringes<\/a> \u2013 authorities have adopted a zero-tolerance approach. Special cordoned-off safe spaces for women and disabled people will operate in key locations, including near city hall and Bastille, staffed by specialist support teams trained to deal with sexual violence complaints.<\/p>\n

Paris city hall also warned international visitors about the dangers of canals and waterways. Last month, during celebrations after Paris Saint-Germain\u2019s Champions League <\/a>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.<\/p>\n

The city is also bracing for the practical consequences of hosting such vast crowds. Last year\u2019s event generated so much litter that refuse teams needed two weeks to clear it. Thousands of additional bins and recycling points have been installed across Paris this weekend, while officials have urged visitors to use the city\u2019s 600 round-the-clock public toilets rather than urinate in the street. About 1,400 water fountains will be available as Paris contends with heatwave conditions.<\/p>\n

Pierre Rabadan, the city hall official responsible for tourism and nightlife, said: \u201cThe DNA of F\u00eate de la Musique is kindness and lots of people. It\u2019s a party that is responsible, joyous, happy and cosmopolitan. That\u2019s all we want in Paris.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Paris is preparing for a street party of unprecedented scale on Sunday, as more than 2 million people…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":648667,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[96,59,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-648666","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-entertainment","tag-gb","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/648666","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=648666"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/648666\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/648667"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=648666"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=648666"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=648666"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}