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WHAT CHANGES IN FRANCE

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

From yet more strikes to Saint Patrick's Day celebrations, movie screenings and the next phase of Paris Olympic ticket sales, here's what is happening in France this week.

Published: 13 March 2023 09:20 CET
On the Agenda: What's happening in France this week
The green illuminated basilica of the sacred heart (Sacre Coeur) on Saint Patrick's day in 2016 in Paris (Photo by LUDOVIC MARIN / AFP)

Monday

Teacher walkouts – The SNUEP-FSU education union called on teachers to continue the mobilisation during the week, starting on Monday March 13th and onwards. As a reminder, striking elementary school teachers must give 48 hours notice beforehand.

Macron-Orbán dinner – The two European leaders will dine on Monday night together at the Elysée Palace. French President Emmanuel Macron and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán have different perspectives on several topics, namely the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Tuesday

Rail delays – Even though SNCF rail workers have engaged in rolling strike action, some reports, namely those from France 3, indicate that rail workers will focus on Tuesday, March 14th for walkouts.

Navigo refunds – Ile-de-France residents who held a Navigo pass for public transport between September and December 2022 may be eligible for a refund of at least €37.60 in compensation for travel disruption in recent months. Some RER B and D passengers will be entitled to a larger refund. The process of applying for the refund opens on March 14th at the Ile-de-France Mobilities website. You can learn more HERE.

Wednesday

More strikes – although some French workers are taking part in rolling strikes (especially on the railways) Wednesday marks the next big one-day strike, which will see further disruption across the country and for international travellers, as well as another day of marches and demos across France.

You can find the latest information on service disruptions in our strike section HERE.

READ MORE: Calendar: The latest French pension strike dates to remember

Olympics tickets – registration opens for the next phase of Olympic ticket sales. This is once again done in the form of a draw, but this time to buy single event tickets, rather than packs of three as in phase 1. You have until April 20th to register to take part in the draw, and the lucky winners will be notified from May 11th. Full details on the ticket process HERE. 

Drought review – According to Franceinfo, the French environment ministry plans to review the drought situation again on March 15th, after they receive the rain forecast from Météo-France.

Thursday

Pensions bill – After being looked over by the joint committee on Wednesday, the bill heads back to the Assemblée Nationale for another vote. 

READ MORE: What next for France’s controversial pension reform bill?

Adventure Festival – The festival “Les Rendez-vous de l’Aventure” will begin on Thursday, March 16th and run until Sunday, March 19th in the Jura département in eastern France. The festival is an event for all filmmakers, freelancers, writers, and ‘explorers’ of all disciplines to meet, present their work and share their experiences with the public. Nearly 40,000 people have attended the event since it began in 2016. You can find more information on its website here.

Friday

Movie screening – For those living in the Paris area, Lost in Frenchlation will be putting on the French film Toi Non Plus tu n’as Rien Vu with English subtitles on Friday, March 17th at the Club de l’Étoile cinema at 14 Rue Troyon in Paris’ 8th arrondisement.

Drinks will begin at 7pm, and the screening will start at 8pm. Feel free to stick around after the film for a Q&A with the director. You can find tickets HERE.

Saint Patrick’s Day – Paris’ town hall will put on various events to celebrate Saint Patrick’s day, including dance events and festivities at the Irish cultural centre. You can find out more here.

Saturday

France v Wales – the French rugby team will take on Wales at the Stade de France in Paris, on the final day of the Six Nations tournament.

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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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