France curbs public drinking as deadly heatwave grips Europe

France moved to curb public drinking in red-alert departments as temperatures climbed toward 39C to 40C, or 102F to 104F, in parts of the southwest, the Paris region and Burgundy, with some areas possibly reaching 41C. The restriction covered the annual Fête de la Musique street festival and other public events, underscoring how extreme heat is pushing governments to regulate behavior, not just warn about danger.

Météo-France placed 35 of the country’s 96 departments under its highest red heatwave alert for Sunday, while another 45 were under orange alert. About 26 million people were expected to be affected. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu’s office said the alcohol limits were meant to preserve emergency and healthcare services, while Paris mayor Emmanuel Grégoire pointed to the dangerous mix of alcohol, heat and proximity to water.

The heatwave had already rippled through daily life. Schools changed timetables, dozens of train services were canceled and some classes were suspended as authorities tried to keep routines functioning in punishing temperatures. In Paris, officials kept parks and gardens open overnight so residents could find cooler air and a place to rest. France also put emergency services and military forces on wildfire alert as the country braced for the strain of another severe summer weather episode.

The burden of those changes falls unevenly. Festivalgoers lose the easy rituals of summer gatherings, outdoor workers face unsafe conditions for longer stretches of the day, tourists encounter shuttered or restricted public spaces, and unhoused people are left with fewer reliable places to escape the heat. What looks like a public-order measure also reveals a public-health reality: in a warming Europe, the people least able to adapt are often the ones asked to absorb the costs.

The French restrictions came as heat alerts spread across much of Germany, where temperatures were approaching 38C, and Spain closed a soccer fan zone in Madrid because of the heat. Scientists say climate change is making European heatwaves more frequent and intense, raising the risk of health emergencies, transport breakdowns and economic disruption each summer.