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WHAT CHANGES IN FRANCE

On the Agenda: What’s happening in France this week

From the anniversary of the Paris Notre-Dame fire to a flash sale for Olympics tickets and an announcement about budget cuts, here's what is happening in France this week.

Published: 15 April 2024 07:47 CEST
On the Agenda: What's happening in France this week
Scaffolding and cranes around Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral during reconstruction work, photo taken on April 4, 2024 on the Ile de la Cite, in Paris (Photo by MIGUEL MEDINA / AFP)

Monday

Fifth anniversary of Notre-Dame fire – There will be a short religious service – a Te Deum – on Monday to mark the fifth anniversary of the fire. The cathedral is on track to reopen in December 2024.

Start of technical inspections for two-wheelers – After having been postponed several times over the course of nine years, the contrôle technique (roadworthiness test) for motorised motorbikes, tricycles and quadricycles, will be phased in starting on April 15th. 

READ MORE: Contrôle technique: What we know about the new French safety checks for motorbikes

Summer camp pass – France will launch a new subsidy aimed at helping middle and low income households to send their 11-year-olds to holiday clubs over the summer, with hopes of reducing time spent on screens. It will be called the ‘pass colo‘, and eligible families will be able request it by going to jeunes.gouv.fr starting on April 15th.

Spring festival – The town of Arnage (in the Sarthe département, near Le Mans) will host its spring festival from Monday, April 15th to Friday April 19th. On Saturday, there will be a ‘flower and flavour’ market from 10am to 5pm to mark the end of the festival. More info here.

Wednesday

Flash sale for 250,000 Olympics tickets – The next tranche of Olympics tickets will be on sale on Wednesday, April 17th, marking 100 days before the opening ceremony. The tickets will go on sale at 10am (Paris-time). They can be bought from anywhere in the world on the official Olympics website (paris2024.org). You will need an account to purchase tickets. More info here.

Announcement of budget cuts – In response to France’s budget deficit reaching €154 billion, or 5.5 percent of GDP, the country’s finance minister Bruno Le Maire will present a package of budget cuts to ministers on Wednesday, entitled the programme de stabilité (PSTAB). 

READ MORE: How France’s bid to tackle ‘wild’ budget deficit could impact you

Thursday

Paris Metro – Amid several line closures due to works, including line 11 from Belleville to Mairie des Lilas, some stations will begin gradually reopening as the summer approaches following. Gare d’Austerlitz will reopen for passengers starting on Thursday. You can download either the IDF Mobilités or the Bonjour RATP apps to see closures in real-time.

Saturday

School holidays – Zone B, which includes Aix-Marseille, Nice, and Strasbourg, has its spring holidays from April 20th until May 6th. 

Paris transport – The commuter train, the RER B, will be closed between Aulnay-sous-Bois and Aéroport Charles de Gaulle 2-TGV during the weekend of April 20th to 21st. As such, travellers should plan alternative routes to get to the airport – you may consider taking the Roissy Bus or a taxi between Paris and the airport.

READ MORE: What you need to know about taking a taxi in Paris

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WHAT CHANGES IN FRANCE

What to expect on May 1st in France

Demonstrations, flowers, closures, traffic and rain - here's what to expect if you're in France on May 1st 2024.

Published: 29 April 2024 10:45 CEST
What to expect on May 1st in France

May 1st is a significant day in the French calendar, with a lot of history and events around the country.

Here’s what to expect this year;

Day off

May 1st is a public holiday and this year it falls on a Wednesday, meaning a day off for most workers.

It forms an opportunity to ‘faire le viaduct’, so don’t be surprised if your colleagues have booked either the Monday and Tuesday or the Thursday and Friday off work to create an extended break.

Closures

Most workplaces will be closed on Wednesday, including all public administration offices such as préfectures and mairies. Some smaller offices may also have revised opening hours for the rest of the week if their staff have booked extra holiday, so it would be worth checking in advance if you’re planning a visit.

The Eiffel Tower will be open but both the Louvre and the Musée d’Orsay close on May 1st. If you’re planning a visit to a smaller site it is worth checking in advance.

Smaller independent shops will mostly close for the day, some larger businesses and chains may be open but with reduced hours. Many supermarkets will close for the day.

Some restaurants, cafés and bars will stay open but many others will close so it’s definitely worth booking or at least checking opening hours if you are planning dinner or drinks out.

Demonstrations 

May 1st has, since 1889, been International Workers’ Day and around the world there are demonstrations and marches held on the day as a demonstration of international solidarity.

This is a tradition that France has embraced with enthusiasm and most towns and cities will have a manif (demo). These are mostly organised by trade unions and are in the main calm and peaceful – families take their kids and there is music and snacks at the departure points.

There are serious subjects to be addressed, however, and this year many of the marches are focused on the rising cost of living and the increasing number of people living in a precarious financial situation, although some marches will also focus on issues such as gender inequality and climate change, while others will prioritise local issues such as funding for schools.

Expect road closures along the demo route and a heavy police presence – as is common with demos, there may be some trouble or violence towards the end of the march in the bigger French cities.

Flowers

Before it was International Workers’ Day, May 1st was a festival with pagan roots celebrating the arrival of spring, and some of the traditions hark back to that.

In northern France you may (possibly) still see the ‘May tree‘ – a tree that a young man plants outside the home of the woman he wanted to marry.

Meanwhile all over the country you will see stalls selling bunches or pots of the pretty white lily-of-the-valley flowers (muguet).

These are a tradition going right back to the 1500s and are said to bring good luck. Florists and supermarkets sell them but you’ll also see temporary stalls set up, many run by trade unions or leftist groups who are raising funds for their organisation.

Muguet: France’s lucky May flower

Weather

Tradition might say that May 1st ushers in the return of les beaux jours, or the beautiful, sunny days of spring and summer, but this year the weather appears to have other ideas.

Unusually cold weather will persist through the week, with May 1st forecast to be rainy in many areas.

Traffic

If you’re heading to a popular local leisure spot like a beach or make on May 1st traffic might be heavier than usual, but traffic watchdog Bison futé has no alerts listed for Wednesday. Instead, traffic is predicted to be heavier on Saturday as people return from their extended ‘pont’ weekend, while the school holidays also finish for Zone B (northern France plus Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur).

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