Like millions of other fans, we rejoiced like children on Christmas morning when Céline Dion announced her return to the stage, and exclusively in France, after six years away, far from the spotlight. And like hundreds of thousands of other fans, when we finally managed to see the diva perform on stage — not without putting up quite a battle to get tickets — we shed a tear. Because Céline is a voice, an icon, a personality who carved her way to worldwide adoration. Yes, but. Sixteen concert dates in 2026, a grand show with enormous equipment and hundreds of people working behind the scenes, exclusively at the Plénitude Arena, c
it's not necessarily without consequences for the planet — quite the opposite, in fact….View this post on Instagram
A spectacular concert with a staggering carbon footprint
With approximately 30,000 spectators per concert, nearly 480,000 people will be welcomed at the Plénitude Arena between September 12 and October 17, 2026. While many are French, it's estimated that u
one third of the audience comes from abroad. A study conducted by the consulting firm Greenly and reported by Reporterre indicates that this residency emits between 333,000 and 466,500 tonnes of CO2.Voir cette publication sur Instagram
And when audiences travel to the artist instead of the other way around, that means exponential demand for transportation. An increase of 96% in train bookings to the capital was recorded in France, +420% from Zurich, +206% from Barcelona, and +205% from London, according to Trainline. The same pattern is seen with flights: searches for Paris increased by 11%, with a significant share coming from the United States.
Significant economic impact for the region, at the expense of the environment
Adele, Harry Styles, Taylor Swift… Many hugely popular artists are embracing this concert model in the form of residencies. " Today, these mega-concerts in residency format are
the symbol of overtourism. Artists encourage their fans to travel, sometimes to the other side of the world. It's absurd to move around so much public. So yes, there will be positive consequences for the hotel and restaurant industry, but at the great expense of ecology », notes Rémy Knafou, a geographer interviewed by Reporterre.According to BFM, the economic returns from Céline Dion's concerts for the Île-de-France region could reach up to 1.2 billion euros.