In Lyon, millions of people flock to the Fête des lumières, a festival with light displays installed across the city.
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00:00 With its dazzling light installations, Lyon's Fête des Lumières is expected to attract
00:08 some two million visitors and promises to offer something for everyone.
00:14 Yet the festival is taking place just weeks after the counter-terror alert level in France
00:18 was raised to its highest state.
00:20 "It's an event that takes place in a security context that is a little bit special with a high level of terrorist threat.
00:31 You know, we are on alert, emergency, attack.
00:35 And so it obviously has to encourage us to be as vigilant as possible."
00:40 The festival, which began in 1989, was cancelled in 2015 following the Paris terror attacks
00:48 and in 2020 due to the pandemic.
00:51 This year, it is scheduled to go ahead as usual with large parts of the city centre cordoned off.
00:57 To secure the event, 500 national police officers and 220 local police have been recruited,
01:03 plus 400 security personnel.
01:05 Members of the military will also patrol the perimeters.
01:08 "The Fête des Lumières is the only event for which a dry plan is systematically triggered.
01:14 So we are already on a maximum level of mobilization of all the security forces of this area."
01:20 Local authorities have also banned a far-right group from infiltrating the annual procession during the festival,
01:29 following recent violent acts from extremist groups.
01:34 "If there were any violence that was committed or attempted to be committed on the event,
01:45 on the event by the opuscules, because you are violent,
01:50 we will intervene, obviously, according to the nature of the acts that were committed."
01:55 The security for the Fête des Lumières has already been at a high level since 2016,
02:00 with the festival's artistic director telling Euronews that he expects the public to show up,
02:05 with hotels and restaurants already reserved.
02:08 And this year, extending beyond the city centre, the city hopes that it will touch a larger population.
02:14 This is Lauren Chadwick reporting for Euronews.
02:17 (whooshing)