1,500 attend illegal rave in Morbihan forest as prefect condemns 'irresponsibility' amid red heat alert and fire danger
About 1,500 people gathered at Forges de Lanouée for an unauthorized rave party that started overnight on 10 July, while the Morbihan department was under a red heat alert and a high forest fire risk. Gendarmes were deployed to contain the site and authorities warned of fines.
A forbidden gathering in the forest
Around 1,500 people are assembled at Forges de Lanouée in the Morbihan department for an illegal rave party that began around 3 a.m. on Saturday 11 July. The event was set up without authorisation, and local media report that some 90 volunteers are handling self-management, harm reduction, and security. Gendarmes mobiles from the Île-de-France region have been dispatched to cordon off the area and stop additional revellers from arriving.
Heatwave and fire danger
The gathering takes place as the department swelters under its highest-level heat advisory. Meteo France placed Morbihan in red heat alert on Friday 10 July, with temperatures high and vegetation critically dry. The prefecture says the forest fire risk is “elevated”. A separate prefectural order, issued on Tuesday 7 July, had already barred access to several wooded areas and heathlands, including the Forges de Lanouée site, precisely because of the fire threat.
In a dry environment, the slightest fire start can have dramatic consequences for people, property and natural areas.
Condemnation and emergency measures
Prefect Michaël Galy condemned the organisers’ “irresponsibility” and said they exposed participants, emergency services, and the environment to “real dangers”. He has called on people not to travel to the rave and said participants will be fined for all offences noted. The police have also been tasked with seizing the sound system.
The prefect had already banned all festive musical gatherings resembling rave parties until 31 August. The Saturday morning deployment aims to prevent any further influx, while gendarmes check vehicles around the site.
An uneasy coexistence
Participants, however, maintain that the gathering is self-managed and peaceful. The 90 volunteers described by Ouest-France handle prevention of violence and risk-reduction activities, with a claimed ethos of autogestion. Still, the authorities insist the event is illegal and dangerous, citing the combination of extreme heat and tinder-dry forest that could turn any mishap into a wildfire.
- Prefectural order restricts access to wooded areas, including Forges de Lanouée, due to high fire risk.
- Morbihan placed under red heat alert (canicule).
- Rave party begins at the Forges de Lanouée forest site.
- Around 1,500 people present; gendarmes deploy to limit new arrivals.
- End date of the prefectural ban on festive musical gatherings resembling rave parties.
What comes next
The rave is expected to continue through the weekend. The prefecture has not signalled an immediate forced dispersal, focusing instead on containment and fines. The weather forecast offers little relief, with the red alert likely to persist. Should a fire break out, the remote forest location would complicate both evacuation and firefighting efforts.
