Where to see the fireworks

New Year’s fireworks will be set off from the Arc de Triomphe at 10pm. They will be most visible from the Champs-Élysées, where large crowds can be expected.

In addition to this fireworks show, the countdown to midnight will also be projected onto the Arc, and the city will also provide musical entertainment.

Three DJs will perform: u.r.trax, Maud Geffray and Jennifer Cardini in the first New Year’s celebration in “normal format” since the Covid-19 pandemic, Frederic Hocquard, the deputy mayor of Paris, told BFMTV.

The weather is predicted to stay dry in the capital – with Saturday night cloudy and warm. Across the country, temperatures are predicted to be unusually warm for the time of year.

Police presence

There will be a large security presence – Paris’ police préfecture said in a statement on Twitter on Friday that there would be over 5,400 police and gendarmes mobilised throughout the city of Paris and its inner suburbs on the night of the 31st.

Local authorities have also prohibited the sale of alcohol on the Champs-Élysées starting at 6pm on Saturday until Monday, January 2nd in an attempt to keep the public order, as “bottles of alcohol can be used as weapons in fights,” according to the police statement.

READ MORE: The rules to be aware of when celebrating New Year’s Eve in France

In order to enter the Champs-Élysées, the public will have to pass by check points, and police will be able to inspect and search personal items and bags of those entering the area. Police recommend that visitors should avoid carrying large bags or “luggage” and that dangerous objects, such as firearms or flammable items (anything that can constitute a weapon or projectile), will be prohibited.

Transportation and road closures

Several metro and RER lines will operate free of charge all night long on New Year’s Eve. These include the lines 1, 2, 5, 6, 9 and 14, as well as the RER A, B, C and D. The T4 tram line will also run all night long.

While all of these lines will be running, keep in mind that many stations may be closed. You can check to make sure the station you want to get on or off at is open at the RATP website or app.

While travel on the Paris Metro system will be free for the last night of the year, on January 1st increased pricing for tickets and Navigo passes will go into effect – with the price of a single ticket going up from the current €1.90 to €2.10. 

READ MORE: What to expect from travel in France on New Years weekend

According to the statement issued by Paris police, the stations that will definitively be closed on New Year’s Eve are the Charles de Gaulle – Étoile station and the Argentina station (on line 1) from 5pm onwards. Starting at 6pm, the George V station on metro line 1, the Franklin D. Roosevelt station, which serves lines 1 and 9, and the Champs-Élysées Clemenceau station which serves lines 1 and 13, will all be closed. After 8pm, the Concorde station (serving lines 1, 8 and 12) and the Tuileries station (serving line 1) will also be closed.

In terms of road traffic, vehicles will not be able to circulate in several parts of the 8th, 16th, and 17th arrondisements, mostly consisting of the Avenue des Champs- Élysées and surrounding roads.

Anticipez vos déplacements. 👇 pic.twitter.com/RZiGDUWh3h

— Préfecture de Police (@prefpolice) December 30, 2022

You can see in the image above the parts of the city where circulation by car will be entirely prohibited starting at 10am on Saturday, December 31st and running until 4am on January 1st, which are highlighted in Green. The purple dotted line also shows the roads surrounding the Champs-Élysées that will be closed to vehicles starting at 6pm on Saturday.

You can stay up to date with real-time announcements from the Paris police department by checking its Twitter account: @prefpolice (http://twitter.com/prefpolice) throughout the evening.