Paris cancels New Year’s eve Champs-Élysées celebrations over security fears

France has scaled down its traditional New Year’s Eve celebrations on the Champs-Élysées, citing security concerns as authorities warn of a heightened terror threat during the holiday season. 

The annual midnight concert on the famed Paris avenue has been cancelled and replaced with a pre-recorded broadcast to be watched at home. Fireworks will still be launched at the Arc de Triomphe when the clock strikes midnight, but officials are urging the public to avoid gathering in large numbers. 

The Champs-Élysées celebration has drawn huge crowds for decades. Last year, around one million people attended the outdoor concert and festivities. Paris City Hall confirmed the decision followed advice from police, who raised concerns about crowd safety and unpredictable movements. 

Security concerns on the Champs-Élysées 

Paris police said the decision to cancel the live concert was driven by security considerations, though they did not publicly outline specific threats. The mayor’s office agreed to the recommendation, marking a significant shift from previous years. 

The Champs-Élysées has seen repeated incidents of unrest in recent times, particularly during large public gatherings. Police say New Year’s Eve remains one of the most challenging nights of the year for maintaining public order. 

A senior police commissioner told France Info that last year’s celebrations posed major challenges. He said officers faced more security incidents in just two hours on New Year’s Eve than during three weeks of the Paris Olympic Games. 

On 31 December last year, police recorded 984 vehicles set alight nationwide and arrested 420 people. The interior minister at the time described the violence as “senseless and endemic” and condemned those responsible for attacking property belonging to ordinary citizens. 

High terror alert during the festive season 

France’s Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez has placed security services on high alert throughout the Christmas and New Year period. In a letter sent to regional officials, he warned of a “very high terror threat”, pointing to jihadist groups including al-Qaeda and Islamic State. 

Mr Nuñez ordered increased police patrols at Christmas markets, restrictions on vehicle access, and closer coordination with intelligence services. He said such markets are symbolic and popular gathering places that remain potential targets for violent or politically motivated attacks. 

Speaking on French television, the minister said six terrorist plots had been thwarted in France so far in 2025. He added that terrorist propaganda continues to encourage attacks on Christmas markets, law enforcement officers, Jewish places of worship and public institutions. 

France has faced repeated attacks in recent years. Mr Nuñez referenced the 2018 Strasbourg Christmas market attack, when a gunman opened fire while shouting religious slogans, killing five people and wounding 11 others before being shot dead by police two days later. 

Political reaction and debate over public safety 

The decision to scale back New Year’s Eve celebrations has drawn criticism from opposition politicians. Bruno Retailleau, leader of the conservative Les Républicains party and a former interior minister, said the move reflected a broader breakdown in public order. 

He said France was experiencing a rise in violent behaviour, adding that public events had increasingly become flashpoints for disorder.