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Why is it going to be a mess to get around Paris today?

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The Editor

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This Saturday, May 30th, could be a day to remember forever in the history of Paris. And for good reason, PSG is getting ready to defend its title as European champions by playing in its second consecutive Champions League final. However, such an exciting event requires some security measures.

We’ve mentioned it before, but this Saturday, May 30th, could very well be the craziest day of the year in the capital. And it makes sense, with the Champions League final, concerts of all kinds, and a little Roland Garros on top, there’s going to be quite a few things happening. The only downside is that this intense excitement will lead to the closure of the most beautiful avenue in the world, along with a bunch of parking and traffic restrictions.


A completely inaccessible zone

Last year, the victory of PSG caused scenes of jubilation in the streets.

in the capital. It's worth mentioning that the club pulled off an (almost) historic feat by becoming the second French team to win the Champions League (after OM, but hush). However, as Parisians tend to do, the celebrations didn’t exactly unfold in peace and calm, resulting in dozens of burned cars, broken windows, and especially over 550 arrests and two deaths.

To prevent such a scenario from happening again, the Paris police prefecture went all out this year to limit the damage (in every sense of the word). To achieve this, a very wide security perimeter was established all around the Champs-Élysées, an area often targeted by supporters wanting to express their joy in a rather unique way – by breaking everything in their path.

So, an area stretching from the Arc de Triomphe to the Place de la Concorde, along with several adjacent streets, will be completely closed to parking starting at 3 PM (the kickoff for the match will be at 6 PM), and an even larger area around the most beautiful avenue in the world will be totally inaccessible to traffic from 5 PM, and will remain so until 5 AM on Sunday.


The Champs-Élysées at a Standstill

But this is not the only measure taken by the authorities to prevent issues. Indeed, not only will the most beautiful avenue in the world be completely inaccessible (by road OR by metro), but in addition, all its businesses have received the order to .close their doors, and this at 5 PM as well. Only hotels will be allowed to continue welcoming visitors. One can only imagine the joy of the tourists who chose this weekend to visit the capital.

All the restaurants in the area have also received the order to store their outdoor furniture to prevent it from becoming a projectile of choice, and any gatherings are prohibited there. In total, no less than 8000 members of the security forces will be deployed throughout the capital (and 16,000 across the rest of the country), so they can intervene at any moment against any disruptions. We hope everything goes well, but hey, just saying, go PSG!