Overview
- The Paris police prefecture requested the cancellation, citing unacceptable crowd-control and public-safety risks specific to the Champs-Élysées.
- A pre-recorded concert will air on national television, and fireworks at the Arc de Triomphe remain scheduled for midnight.
- Authorities are urging people to avoid large gatherings and will release detailed security and access plans closer to December 31.
- Officials pointed to recent disorder at major events and the interior minister’s warning of a very high terror threat, including six foiled plots in 2025.
- A senior police source described last year’s festivities as producing more scares in two hours on the avenue than during the entire Olympics, and the decision has drawn political criticism and support from different quarters.