20,000 at Illegal Rave on French Military Firing Range

Thousands of revelers gathered for an illegal rave on a vast military firing range near the central French town of Bourges over the weekend, defying repeated warnings from authorities about unexploded ordnance scattered across the site.

The unauthorized event, known as a free party or Teknival, began on Friday after more than 2,000 vehicles arrived unannounced on Thursday night. Organizers expected crowds peaking at around 30,000 from France and neighboring countries, though officials estimated turnout at about 20,000. The 10,000-hectare site, used by the French military for over 150 years to test cannons, missiles and shells, contains potentially hazardous remnants, including older artillery charges from World War II. Local prefect Philippe Le Moing Surzur described the location as extremely dangerous, noting that even the site's owners lacked precise knowledge of all risks and that bomb disposal teams regularly uncover ordnance there.

On Saturday evening, experts neutralized one unexploded shell near a road through the party area. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez confirmed a second shell was being addressed on Sunday after he flew over the site by helicopter. "When the prefect...