Concerts planned for the Fête de la Musique were canceled by local authorities in several cities due to the high temperatures expected on Sunday, with temperatures around 40°C according to Météo France. The municipality of Brive-la-Gaillarde (Corrèze) warned Thursday June 18 of the cancellation of scheduled activities, “due to the episode of severe heat announced in the department”.
In Claye-Souilly (Seine-et-Marne), the authorities chose a complete cancellation “in the interest of safety for artists, volunteers, mobilized agents and the entire public”. Likewise in Nanterre (Hauts-de-Seine) where “all initiatives linked to the Music Festival are canceled”, according to the municipality.
The festivities will also not be held in certain small towns such as Le Teich (Gironde), Écommoy (Sarthe) and Saint-Savinien-sur-Charente (Charente-Maritime), where the local music school had already shortened the 2025 edition due to the site being too exposed to the sun, according to Ici La Rochelle.
Maintained in Paris
In Angers, the Music Festival is being maintained but the organizers of a concert scheduled from 2:00 p.m. to midnight decided to postpone it and another concert, although supposed to be held in the Collegiate Church of Saint-Martin, was canceled by the department. The city insists on the presence of fountains and water bars in certain places to hydrate during the event.
In Paris, no cancellations planned at this stage, according to Pierre Rabadan (deputy for Nightlife), but “around twenty totems”, providing prevention messages on the “reflexes to adopt” in the face of the heat to avoid discomfort, will be deployed in the capital. A meeting was still planned for Friday with the police headquarters to make a final update.
The heatwave spread across a large part of France on Thursday, from Paris to the center and east, with temperatures getting closer and closer to 40°C. Twenty-six departments are placed on heatwave orange vigilance by Météo France, until Friday midnight. But the peak of this second heat episode of the year, after that recorded in May, is expected on Sunday or Monday.
These weather conditions disrupt the most popular musical event of the year: free and open to all types of music since 1982, the Music Festival resonates every summer solstice in the public space, offering an open-air stage for numerous artists and amateur groups.
