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Solidays Faces Possible Last‑Minute Cancellation Over Paris Heat Wave

Organisers are awaiting a prefecture decision on whether their emergency cooling and crowd‑control measures meet safety standards.

Overview

  • Festival director Luc Barruet said Friday he has doubts about the event and that organisers are waiting for a formal decision from the Paris prefecture.
  • Météo France forecasts weekend highs close to 40°C in Paris, creating acute heat‑related health risks for large outdoor gatherings at the Hippodrome de Longchamp.
  • Organisers have put in place specific measures including 150,000 bottles of water, misting devices, sprinkler systems, altered work schedules and plans to stagger concert times to limit mass crowd movements.
  • No prefectural decree has been issued yet but Préfet de police Patrice Faure has publicly raised the option of cancelling events on public‑safety grounds, creating imminent operational and financial uncertainty.
  • Solidays provides roughly 70% of Solidarité Sida’s funding through the festival and an annulment would therefore have major consequences for the charity’s programs and staff.