French Festivals Enforce Park Smoking Ban

Overview

• Rock en Seine is already enforcing the ban at the Domaine national de Saint‑Cloud during its Aug. 26–30 run and has warned violators they face a €135 fine.
• Golden Coast, due to start Aug. 28 near Dijon, will bar combustible smoking across its site by agreement with the local prefecture and expects about 75,000 attendees for the weekend.
• Both festivals say the measure follows a national decree published on June 27, 2025 that prohibits smoking in parks and public gardens and applies to events held in those spaces.
• Organizers report that requests for derogations to create designated smoking zones were refused, so they will rely on security teams, crowd messaging and video surveillance to ensure compliance.
• The ban excludes e‑cigarettes under the current decree text, a distinction organizers cite while stressing the step aims to cut ignition risk after a summer of heightened wildfires in forested areas near festival sites.