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WHAT CHANGES IN FRANCE

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

From the 'best boulangerie' to the end of spring holidays for some pupils in France and a speech from president Emmanuel Macron, here's what is happening in France this week.

Published: 22 April 2024 08:16 CEST
On the Agenda: What's happening in France this week
An illustration image of a French baker preparing, taken in Ecole-en-Bauges, French Alps. (Photo by JEFF PACHOUD / AFP)

Monday

A13 closed – the A13 autoroute – one of the major routes in and out of Paris – remains closed on Monday for urgent safety inspections due to concerns about the road surface. It is not known when it will reopen.

Start of assisted dying debates – on Monday evening the health minister is set to give the first speech in parliament on the government’s bill to ease France’s laws on assisted dying. It is the start of the legislative process for the bill, which is expected to take several months.

Passover – The Jewish festival of Passover will begin before sundown on Monday, April 22nd. It will end after nightfall on April 30th.

Back to school – Pupils in zone C (which includes Paris, Toulouse and Montpellier) will head back to school after the spring holidays on Monday.

Teacher’s strike in Seine-Saint-Denis – Unions have called on teachers in the Seine-Saint-Denis département on the outskirts of Paris to walk out again on Monday, as they push for more people to be hired to deal with staff shortages, as well as other issues surrounding pay and plans to introduce ‘streaming’ in lower-secondary schools.

READ MORE: Why ‘streaming’ in French schools is causing controversy (and strikes)

Tuesday

Printemps de Bourges festival – The popular outdoor music festival, the Printemps de Bourges, runs from April 23rd – 28th and takes place in the central French town of Bourges. This year it will feature artists like Clara Luciani, Béatrice Dalle, Mika, Shaka Ponk – and numerous others.

Thursday

Macron speech – French president Emmanuel Macron will give a speech at the Sorbonne university on Thursday. He is expected to discuss what he sees as ‘the future of Europe’ in the years to come.

Possible air traffic controllers strike – According to Le Monde, the main air traffic controllers union, the SNCTA, filed a preliminary strike notice for Thursday April 25th, though it remains to be seen whether workers will walk out. The SNCTA is protesting plans to overhaul the organisation of navigation services within air traffic control in France, in addition to pay disputes.

Friday

Best boulangerie – The 11th season of the television show La meilleure boulangerie de France is back. The jury countdown for the best boulangerie (bakery) in France will start on Monday, with the jury making their final decision on Friday, to be broadcast on the M6 channel.

Ratings agencies – several international ratings agencies are expected to give their latest rating to France on Friday, with fears that France’s credit rating may be downgraded due to its unexpectedly large budget deficit.

Sunday

National Day of Remembrance for Victims of the Deportation – France recognises people who were deported to concentration camps during World War II on the last Sunday of April, which this year falls on the 28th.

More than 80,000 people were deported from France to concentration camps in Germany and Poland during WWII – most of them Jews but resistance fighters, Communists and trade unionists and Gypsy and Roma people were also among those deported. The memorial day aims to remember the ‘victims and heroes’ of the deportations – those who were deported and those who tried to prevent the actions or to hide people from authorities.

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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
Updated: 1 May 2024 06:20 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.

Employees who work on May 1st are entitled to get paid double wages (rather than simply getting an extra day off as is the case for other public holidays) which is why many businesses prefer to close. Some of France’s bigger tourist attractions close for only two public holidays – Christmas Day and May 1st.

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.

In Paris the demo will set off from 2pm from the Place de la République and head to Nation. Between 15,000 and 30,000 people are expected in Paris and nationwide the turnout is estimated at 150,000 – a steep fall from last year when around 800,000 turned out to protest against pension reform. 

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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