273,000 apply for Paris's Champs-Elysees giant open-air picnic, with 4,000 selected participants and free meals.

Paris's Champs-Elysees to host a giant open-air picnic on Sunday, with 273,000 people applying to participate. A 216-metre-long red-and-white chequered rug will cover the picnic ground, and 4,000 selected participants can bring up to six additional people each. Free packed meals from eight partner restaurants will be provided. The event aims to reinvent the iconic French boulevard.