PARIS — French authorities announced Saturday that drinking alcohol in public will be prohibited during the country’s annual Fete de la Musique music festival celebrations on June 21 in any administrative districts placed under a red heatwave alert starting at noon Sunday.
The announcement came after Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu convened an emergency crisis meeting to address the dangerous heat conditions spreading across the country.
“Prefects will issue decrees banning alcohol consumption in public spaces in the departments under red alert,” a statement from the Prime Minister’s office said.
The statement also noted that government-organized events would be required to go alcohol-free: “For all events organised by the state and its agencies, instructions have been given not to offer alcohol.”
France’s national weather agency, Meteo France, painted a concerning picture of conditions ahead, stating in its Saturday update that “very high temperatures are settling in for the long term across the country.” The agency formally issued a red heatwave warning covering 35 departments for Sunday, a list that includes the capital city of Paris.
