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WHAT CHANGES IN FRANCE

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

From Covid boosters to transport strikes, via school holidays and more football, here's everything that is happening in France this week.

Published: 12 December 2022 09:08 CET
On the Agenda: What's happening in France this week
Photo by MARTIN BUREAU / AFP

Monday 

Covid boosters – a second booster of the Covid-19 vaccine is now open to everyone in France, the health minister confirmed on Friday. François Braun encouraged people to get their second booster shot before Christmas, especially if they intend to travel to visit people in high-risk groups such as elderly family members.

Tuesday

Ukraine conference – beginning of the international conference on the reconstruction of Ukraine, held in Paris.

Nice attack verdict – a verdict is expected in the trial of eight people in connection with the 2016 terror attack in Nice that killed 86 people. The attacker – who drove a truck into crowds who were celebrating July 14th on the Promenade des anglais – was killed at the scene, but eight people have been charged with helping him or being aware of his intentions.

Wednesday

France v Morocco – the French team take on Morocco in the semi finals of the men’s football World Cup, being held in Qatar. French president Emmanuel Macron will travel to Qatar to cheer on Les bleus.

Tax deadline – if you believe you have made a mistake in the tax declaration that you submitted back in April/May, you have until December 14th to correct it online

Thursday

Pension reform law – Prime minister Elisabeth Borne was due to present to parliament the government’s detailed plans to reform the pension system, including raising the retirement age from 62 to 65 – however it was announced on Monday that this will be delayed until January 10th to “allow more time for discussion”. The plans are already implacably opposed by politicians on the left, unions and (according to polling) the vast majority of French people.

READ ALSO What you need to know about France’s controversial pension reform

Christmas bonus – the Prime de noël will be paid out to around 2.3 million low-income households.

Friday

Eurostar strike – UK-based drivers and security staff on the Eurostar will strike, leading to disruptions to services between London and Paris. Strikes are also planned for Sunday, December 18th and December 22nd and 23rd. 

School term ends – schools in France break up for the Christmas holidays on Friday (or Saturday, for those that have Saturday morning classes) and traffic is forecast to be heavy on Friday night as families make their festive getaway.

Film screening – if you’re in Paris, the film club Lost in Frenchlation is screening the new biopic Simone (about the life of Simone Veil) with English subtitles – full details here. 

Saturday 

Miss France final – as ever, the inexplicably popular beauty contest will be screened on French TV on Saturday evening.

Sunday

World Cup final – the final of the men’s football World Cup, which France may be playing in, depending on whether they beat Morocco on Wednesday.

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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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