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WHAT CHANGES IN FRANCE

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

From holidays and carnival to crucial political debates and two strike days, here's what is happening in France this week.

Published: 6 February 2023 09:13 CET

On the Agenda: What's happening this week in France?

Preparations for the Menton lemon festival. Photo by VALERY HACHE / AFP

Monday

Pension reform bill – the controversial pension reform bill heads to the Assemblée nationale where debates – probably stormy ones – will begin.

READ ALSO 5 minutes to understand French pension reform

Ski world championships – the world championship ski event begins in the French Alpine resorts of Courchevel and Meribel.

Tuesday

Strike day – a third one-day mass strike will take place on Tuesday, so expect significant disruption on services like trains and city public transport, plus demos in towns and cities across France.

What to expect on the February 7th strike

Final day of sales – the winter sales end in most parts of France on Tuesday. You can learn more about the French winter soldes here.

Wednesday

Refinery worker’s strike – French oil refinery workers began their 72-hour strike on February 6th. Wednesday was set to be the last day, though unions could call on workers to walk out again.

Friday

Nice Carnival – the fabulous carnival in the southern city of Nice begins on February 10th and runs until February 26th. This year is the event’s 150th anniversary, and you can find more information about schedules and attending on the website here.

Saturday

Another strike – there is another one-day strike action on Saturday, with disruption expected to be similar to Tuesday.

School holidays – schools in Zone B – which includes most of northern France and also Nice) begin their two-week February holiday on Saturday. Schools in zone A are already on holiday while those in Zone C (south west France and Paris) begin the following week.

Lemon Festival – on the border between France and Italy is the little town of Menton, which each year hosts a festival of lemons which includes a parade with floats made out of (what else?) lemons.

READ MORE: Bears, lemons and pig-squealing: 9 of France’s strangest festivals

France v Ireland – As part of the second round of the 2023 Six Nations rugby tournament, France will play Ireland in the 6 nations rugby tournament at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin at 3.15pm French time.

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What changes in France in May 2024

Public Holidays

There are several public holidays in the month of May – this year, all four of them fall on weekdays, meaning workers can benefit from plenty of time off.

The first is International Worker’s Day, or May Day, which is on Wednesday, May 1st. Expect trade union demonstrations and marches and the giving of the lucky lily-of-the-valley flowers.

The other public holidays are Wednesday, May 8th (Victory in Europe Day), Thursday, May 9th (Ascension), and Monday, May 20th (Whit Monday, or lundi de Pentecôte) – although Pentecost is for some workers only.

May 8th often involves military parades and remembrance events in towns and cities around France. This year will mark the 79th anniversary of the end of the war.

Elections deadline

If you are eligible to vote in the European elections, you should verify you are properly registered. May 1st is the deadline for online registrations, while May 3rd is the deadline for those sent by the post.

READ MORE: How to register in France to vote in the 2024 European elections

The elections themselves are in June.

Tax Deadlines

May also brings the first deadlines for the annual tax declaration – compulsory for almost everyone in France.

If you are unable to file the declaration online, you can use a paper declaration. This must be mailed by May 20th.

For the online declarations, you have until May 23rd (at 11.59pm) if you live in the départements 1 to 19, and until May 30th for the départements from 20 to 54. For the remaining départements, you have until June 6th at midnight.

READ MORE: The bumper French tax guide for 2024

Anniversaries

There are several anniversaries this May 2024 – from May 4th (the 100th anniversary of the 1924 Paris Olympic Games) to May 30th (the 30th anniversary of the opening of the Channel Tunnel).

Increased medical costs

In January, the French government announced plans to double two healthcare expenses, the franchise médicale and the participation forfaitaire. The franchise médicale was already increased at the start of April, but the participation forfaitaire will increase from a flat rate of €1 to between €2-3 starting on May 15th.

These are the small healthcare costs for things like prescriptions, appointments and travel to and from healthcare visits that are not reimbursed by the state.

READ MORE: Why medical costs are rising in France in 2024

Olympics events

The Olympic torch has already started its journey from Greece, and will arrive in Marseille on May 8th before beginning its relay around France. You can see the route here.

For Paris residents, if you live within the area closest to the Seine river, close to where the Opening Ceremony will be hosted, then you will need to register with a QR code for security purposes. The platform to do so will open on May 10th.

READ MORE: Which areas will be closed in Paris during the Olympics?

Assisted dying legislation

French President Emmanuel Macron announced in March that a bill on assisted dying will be presented to parliament before the summer.

Parliament is set to start examining it on May 27th. It follows a lengthy consultation via a citizens’ council of 184 French citizens, who came up with a series of measures to legalise “active assistance to dying”.

European night of Museums

On Saturday, May 18th many museums will keep their doors open – for free – all night long as part of the “European night of museums”. This year will mark the 20th edition of the event since its launch in 2005. Several Paris museums take part, outside of Paris you can find more information on the website for your local town hall. For Paris, more information here.

The Cannes Film Festival

The 77th edition of the Cannes film festival will take place from May 14th to 25th at the Palais des festivals et des congrès in Cannes.

Eurovision

You can watch France compete in the Eurovision song contest in Sweden this year. The semi-finals are set for May 7th and May 9th (although France goes straight through to the finals every year as one of the ‘big five’ who fund the contest). The final is on Saturday, May 11th. France will be represented by the artist Slimane.

READ MORE: 5 things to know about France’s 2024 Eurovision song

Sports

The final of the Coupe de France football tournament is on May 25th, with the time and location TBD.

The French Open (Roland-Garros) tennis tournament will also take place in May – starting on Sunday, May 26th and going until June 9th.

Mother’s Day and Neighbour’s Day

There are a couple of important days you won’t want to miss this May.

Mother’s Day in France will fall on May 26th, though if your mother is in the UK you may have already missed it (it was on March 10th). For Americans, Mother’s Day always falls on the second Sunday of May – so be sure to mark May 12th in your calendar.

Then there is also Neighbour’s Day, or the Fête des Voisins, which is the perfect opportunity to say hello to your neighbours. This year it will take place on May 31st.

READ MORE: Fête des Voisins: All you need to know about ‘neighbours day’ in France

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