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

From holidays to film awards via a very special farm show and (at the time of writing) no strikes - here's everything that is happening in France this week.

Published: 20 February 2023 08:55 CET

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

Expect cows and political hopefuls at the Paris farm show. Photo by Sameer Al-DOUMY / AFP

At the time of writing, no strikes were planned for this week, probably due to the school holidays, but you can keep up to date with planned industrial action on our pension strikes calendar.

Monday

School holidays – schools in zone C – which includes Paris, Montpellier and Toulouse – are now on holiday until March 6th so expect things to be a little quieter in the capital.

French Tech – president Emmanuel Macron will hold a reception at the Elysée for people involved in the tech sector, to boost his vision of ‘la French Tech’.

Wednesday

Ash Wednesday – the Christian world will mark the festival of Ash Wednesday (le mercredi des Cendres).

Friday

Césars ceremony – the ‘French Oscars’ ceremony will take place on Friday night in Paris.

Ukraine invasion anniversary – the Council of Europe, meeting in Strasbourg, will hold a memorial event to mark one years since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Saturday

Paris Salon de l’agriculture – opening day of the Paris farm show that sees farmers and producers from all over France descend on Porte de Versailles for a week-long show. It’s also a must-do event for the president and anyone who wants to be president in the future.

Five things to know about France’s most famous farm show

Sunday

Nice carnival ends – the final day of the carnival brings to a close two weeks of fun in the Mediterranean city.

France v Scotland – Expect kilts in the capital over the weekend as France take on Scotland at Stade de France in the Six Nations rugby tournament.

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

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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