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WHAT CHANGES IN FRANCE

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

From new drought measures to the start of the fuel price cap and the Salon de l'Agriculture, here's what is happening in France this week.

Published: 27 February 2023 08:47 CET
On the Agenda: What's happening in France this week?
Petrol nozzles at a gas station in France. (Photo by Valentine CHAPUIS / AFP)

Monday

Drought measures – After France beat previous winter drought records, with 32 consecutive days without any significant rain – Environment Minister, Christophe Béchu, announced plans to bring together regional authorities from across France on Monday to announce “soft” water restriction measures. 

School holidays – Students in Zone B will go back to school on Monday after their two weeks of winter holidays, while those in zone C (including Paris, Montpellier and Toulouse) start the second week of holidays.

Salon de l’agriculture visit – Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne will visit the Paris farm show, after Emmanuel Macron went on Saturday. Also attending on Monday is Les Républicains leader Eric Ciotti – a visit to the show is a must for any politician with ambition, so expect to see most party leaders and hopefuls attend before the show ends on Sunday.

Nupes on pensions – La Nupes, the parliamentary alliance of left-wing parties, will hold a meeting in Amiens discussing their continued opposition to proposed pension reforms. They will hold a similar meeting in Strasbourg on Wednesday. 

Tuesday

Fuel allowance – The deadline to apply for the fuel allowance for motorists on low-incomes was previously set for this day, but it has been extended through the end of March.

READ MORE: How to claim the €100 fuel aid for motorists in France

Nuclear protest – employees of France’s nuclear safety regulator will demonstrate in Paris against the government’s proposed pension reforms.

Wednesday

TotalEnergies fuel cap – Fuel cap of €1.99 per litre to be applied at all TotalEnergies stations across France, and it will stay in place until the end of 2023. It was first applied to those on autoroutes (freeways) on February 25th. 

READ MORE: Fuel to be capped at €1.99 per litre at Total service stations in France

Cold calls – New rules come into force on March 1st, limiting the hours in which canvassing calls can be made (no calls at weekends, lunchtime, or after 8pm), and on the number of times businesses can call. Basically, if they call, tell them you don’t want to be canvassed, and they will have to wait two months before trying again. 

Thursday

Senate takes on pension reform – France’s Senate will begin to debate the controversial pension reform bill. The senators will have a deadline of 15 days to vote on the bill – meaning by midnight on March 12th.

Friday

Independent Winegrowers’ Wine Show – In Lyon, the “Salon” for independent winegrowers will run from March 3rd through 5th. Tasting events will be open to the public. You can find more information here.

Sunday

School holidays – Sunday marks the last day of the winter school holidays in France, with students in Zone C returning to class on Monday, March 6th.

End of Salon de l’Agriculture – The rare merging of French city and countryside will come to an end on Sunday.

Paris-Nice – competitors in the Paris-Nice cycle race will depart from Paris.

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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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