The Arc de Triomphe is illuminated during Paris’s New Year’s Eve countdown.
Paris has staged major year-end projections and light displays on the Arc de Triomphe, especially along the Champs-Élysées. The monument provides a prominent focal point for the countdown, with images and messages projected onto its monumental façade before midnight. Crowds traditionally gather on the avenue and nearby viewpoints to welcome the new year.
The Arc de Triomphe stands at the center of the Place Charles de Gaulle, where twelve avenues meet. It commemorates France’s military history and contains the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier beneath its arch, including the eternal flame. Those historical functions continue independently of the New Year spectacle.
Paris celebrations are sometimes described as an Eiffel Tower event because the tower is the city’s best-known landmark. However, the New Year’s Eve countdown projection associated with the Champs-Élysées centers on the Arc de Triomphe, while municipal programming can vary by year.