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The 9 best festivals and events in France in autumn 2021

From herring to mushrooms, running to zombies, here are some of our favourite festivals and events through the autumn and winter in France.

The 9 best festivals and events in France in autumn 2021
Photo: Philippe Desmazes/AFP

After 18 months in which virtually all large events were cancelled, France’s calendar of festivals, events and markets is slowly getting back to normal.

Because of the health situation, we advise anyone planning to attend these to check the festival’s website in advance to ensure that the event is going ahead as planned.

Also bear in mind that extra health measures are likely to be in place, from restricted ticket numbers to mask rules or a requirement for a health passport to enter.

READ ALSO The 6 best destinations to visit in France this autumn

Drummers stand in a row during the Fete des Vendanges de Montmartre. Photo by FLORIAN DAVID / AFP

October

Les Toqués du cèpe

Fall is of course mushroom season and lots of French towns hold fêtes des champignons or mushroom markets but probably the most famous is the one in Mende, in the Lozère département. Les Toqués du cèpe runs on October 1st and 2nd and has a calendar of entertainments as well as lots of stalls and the chance to taste all of the many different things you can do with a mushroom.

If your tastes are more rarefied, you could wait for the truffle festivals in December and January.

Nuit Blanche

On October 2nd, Paris will stay up all night with its 20th Nuit Blanche (sleepless night) event. Venues such as museums and galleries stay open all night, there’s a programme of concerts and entertainment and the périphérique ringroad will be closed to traffic in some parts to allow a mass night-time bike ride. Public transport will also run all night to allow revellers to get home. 

Fête des Vendanges, Montmartre

September and October mark the crucial days of the wine harvest across France. But while you might think of Bordeaux and Burgundy as the wine-producing areas, Paris also produces its own wine. Well, a small harvest comes from the vineyard in Montmartre to the north of the city. While they don’t quite produce enough to quench the thirsty Parisians, the quarter is proud of its wine-producing heritage and holds a wine harvest festival every year to celebrate. This year it runs from October 6th to 10th – details here

Paris Marathon

Back in February 2020, the Paris marathon was one of the first big events to be cancelled due to a new virus known as the coronavirus. Rescheduled several times since then, the 2021 race will take place on October 17th. The half marathon passed off successfully on September 5th, so organisers will be hoping the marathon can go ahead too. All runners will need a health passport.

In bad news for athletes who like to drink wine while they run, the Médoc marathon has been cancelled, but will be back in September 2022.

Enthusiasts take part in the Zombie Walk event in Paris. Photo by Martin BUREAU / AFP

November

Dieppe Herring festival

The Normandy town of Dieppe is proud of its fishing tradition and holds the Fête du Hareng on November 13th and 14th. As well as eating lots of delicious herring (and the scallops which the town is also famous for) there is also a parade and music.

It’s not just Dieppe that gets into fish-based celebrations in November, neighbouring coastal towns in the Seine-Maritime département hold their own festivals celebrating herring throughout November – full list here.

Beaujolais Nouveau Day

Every third Thursday in November (Thursday,18th this year) the new bottles of beaujolais hit the shelves in France.

The special day is the first of the year that wine-makers are allowed to sell their primeurs (the young wines that are produced quickly and are ready to drink six to eight weeks after the harvest).

The day itself started out life as just a marketing gimmick, but towns around the Burgundy region have their own festivals to mark the start of Beaujolais Nouveau sales, the largest of which is in Lyon where the barrels of wine are rolled through the city centre before being opened.

READ ALSO 13 things to know about Beaujolais Nouveau (and why it’s less imbuvable than it used to be)

Zombie walks

Until fairly recently, Halloween wasn’t really a big deal in France (although All Saints Day on November 1st is a public holiday) but zombie walks are becoming increasingly popular in cities including Paris, Lyon, Toulouse, Reims, Caen and Avignon. Either go and watch the frightful sight or if you want to get involved, there are zombie orientation days lined up to get you in the mood.

This year health passports will be required for all officially organised walks, because even the undead need to make sure they are Covid-safe.

Traditional Alsacian houses decorated and illuminated for Christmas, in Colmar, eastern France. Photo by SEBASTIEN BOZON / AFP

December

Lyon fête des lumières

Undoubtedly one of France’s most beautiful and magical festivals, the Lyon festival of lights is back this year, from December 8th to 11th. Over three days, the city is draped in spectacular illuminations, installments and light shows, which turn it into a place of wonder as soon as it gets dark. Many of Lyon’s famous restaurants also run special offers for festival-goers once they have had their fill of the lights. 

Christmas markets

Most towns and cities in France hold their own Christmas markets, but for the best ones you need to head east.

The German influence in the Alsace-Lorraine regions of France makes Christmas a big deal there and the markets are very special. The most famous is Strasbourg (starting from November 26th in 2021) but there are numerous smaller markets in nearby towns including Colmar and Mulhouse.

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TRAVEL NEWS

German train strike wave to end following new labour agreement

Germany's Deutsche Bahn rail operator and the GDL train drivers' union have reached a deal in a wage dispute that has caused months of crippling strikes in the country, the union said.

German train strike wave to end following new labour agreement

“The German Train Drivers’ Union (GDL) and Deutsche Bahn have reached a wage agreement,” GDL said in a statement.

Further details will be announced in a press conference on Tuesday, the union said. A spokesman for Deutsche Bahn also confirmed that an agreement had been reached.

Train drivers have walked out six times since November, causing disruption for huge numbers of passengers.

The strikes have often lasted for several days and have also caused disruption to freight traffic, with the most recent walkout in mid-March.

In late January, rail traffic was paralysed for five days on the national network in one of the longest strikes in Deutsche Bahn’s history.

READ ALSO: Why are German train drivers launching more strike action?

Europe’s largest economy has faced industrial action for months as workers and management across multiple sectors wrestle over terms amid high inflation and weak business activity.

The strikes have exacerbated an already gloomy economic picture, with the German economy shrinking 0.3 percent across the whole of last year.

What we know about the new offer so far

Through the new agreement, there will be optional reduction of a work week to 36 hours at the start of 2027, 35.5 hours from 2028 and then 35 hours from 2029. For the last three stages, employees must notify their employer themselves if they wish to take advantage of the reduction steps.

However, they can also opt to work the same or more hours – up to 40 hours per week are possible in under the new “optional model”.

“One thing is clear: if you work more, you get more money,” said Deutsche Bahn spokesperson Martin Seiler. Accordingly, employees will receive 2.7 percent more pay for each additional or unchanged working hour.

According to Deutsche Bahn, other parts of the agreement included a pay increase of 420 per month in two stages, a tax and duty-free inflation adjustment bonus of 2,850 and a term of 26 months.

Growing pressure

Last year’s walkouts cost Deutsche Bahn some 200 million, according to estimates by the operator, which overall recorded a net loss for 2023 of 2.35 billion.

Germany has historically been among the countries in Europe where workers went on strike the least.

But since the end of 2022, the country has seen growing labour unrest, while real wages have fallen by four percent since the start of the war in Ukraine.

German airline Lufthansa is also locked in wage disputes with ground staff and cabin crew.

Several strikes have severely disrupted the group’s business in recent weeks and will weigh on first-quarter results, according to the group’s management.

Airport security staff have also staged several walkouts since January.

Some politicians have called for Germany to put in place rules to restrict critical infrastructure like rail transport from industrial action.

But Chancellor Olaf Scholz has rejected the calls, arguing that “the right to strike is written in the constitution… and that is a democratic right for which unions and workers have fought”.

The strikes have piled growing pressure on the coalition government between Scholz’s Social Democrats, the Greens and the pro-business FDP, which has scored dismally in recent opinion polls.

The far-right AfD has been enjoying a boost in popularity amid the unrest with elections in three key former East German states due to take place later this year.

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