France music festival goes on despite Brussels attack - spokesman

France's annual music festival, where groups play on street corners and in cafes nationwide, will go ahead despite several attacks on police in past weeks and Tuesday evening's terrorist incident in Brussels, the French government spokesman said.

Spokesman Christophe Castaner on Wednesday said 48,000 police would be on duty when festivities start later in the day and go late into the night.

That number is similar to the numbers deployed during the four days of recent presidential and parliamentary elections to ward off the threat of further attacks by Islamist militants. More than 230 people have died in France over the past two and a half years in attacks by Islamist-inspired assailants.