The Arc de Triomphe is the focus of Paris’s major New Year’s Eve countdown on the Champs-Élysées.
Each New Year’s Eve, large crowds gather along the Champs-Élysées and nearby areas for the midnight celebration. The Arc de Triomphe serves as the visual center of projections and the countdown, making the monument one of the most recognizable backdrops for Paris’s transition into the new year.
The arch stands at the western end of the Champs-Élysées in the center of the Place Charles de Gaulle. Napoleon commissioned it in 1806 after the Battle of Austerlitz, and it was completed in 1836, during the reign of Louis-Philippe.
Paris is often associated with the Eiffel Tower in photographs of celebrations, but the official New Year’s Eve projection and countdown traditionally center on the Arc de Triomphe. The two landmarks are several kilometres apart.