Extreme weather in France led to a ban on outdoor public events as well a halt to events at indoor venues without air conditioning.
Temperatures reached between 40 and 42 degrees celsius at the end of last week and over the weekend, leading the Gironde department putting the ban in place.
According to Reuters, local prefect Fabienne Buccio said that concerts and large gatherings, including some June 18 Resistance celebrations, had been called off on Friday afternoon.
Private celebrations such as weddings were still allowed to go ahead.
In the days leading up to the heatwave, the French Interior Ministry and Ministry of Solidarity and Health offered warnings and advice on Twitter.
“Faced with a heat wave, don’t wait for the first effects. The risks to your health can arise from the very first days,” said a tweet from the Ministry of Solidarity and Health.
#Canicule |🌡Face à la canicule, n’attendez pas les premiers effets 👉 les risques pour votre santé peuvent survenir dès les premiers jours.
Rappel des précautions à prendre ⤵
+ d’infos : https://t.co/tOv8qaw2VJ pic.twitter.com/W6muBQEMdi— Ministère des Solidarités et de la Santé 🇫🇷 🇪🇺 (@Sante_Gouv) June 16, 2022
In other parts of France, live event attendees looked to other ways of cooling off. Rock and metal fans at music festival Hellfest in Western France were sprayed with water from hoses and vaporisers from the stage to stay cool.
Hellfest welcomed performances from the likes of Deftones and the Offspring, and is set to continue until June 26.
Image: Ryan Ancill on Unsplash