The Arc de Triomphe is the Paris landmark used for the city’s well-known New Year’s Eve countdown and light show.
On New Year’s Eve, projections and illuminated displays are commonly shown on the monument, while crowds gather along the Champs-Élysées. The Arc stands at the western end of that avenue in the Place Charles de Gaulle and forms one of Paris’s most recognizable urban vistas.
Napoleon commissioned the monument after the Battle of Austerlitz in 1806, although it was completed in 1836, long after his reign. Its reliefs and engraved names commemorate French military history, and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier lies beneath it.
The Eiffel Tower is also strongly associated with Parisian celebrations and may be illuminated on special occasions, but the main New Year’s Eve projection and countdown traditionally centered on the Arc de Triomphe. Paris celebrations should also be distinguished from France’s Christmas and New Year’s Day customs.