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LIVING IN FRANCE

BBQ rules, water, and the truth of ‘heavy legs’: 6 essential articles for life in France

What changes in France in July, whether water restrictions will hurt your French holiday, barbecue regs, French schools and non-French pupils, heavy legs and the ‘proposed garden tax’. Here’s our round-up of essential reads from The Local that bust a myth or two about living here…

Published: 2 July 2023 07:57 CEST
BBQ rules, water, and the truth of ‘heavy legs’: 6 essential articles for life in France
Brochettes or not brochettes... We explain the rules on barbecues in France. (Photo by MYCHELE DANIAU / AFP)

Exam results are out; cycling’s Tours de France (both of them – including the long-overdue women’s one) get under way; and the summer holidays start. But also, tax demands start to arrive, there’s an important change to gas tariffs, and news about non-EU bank accounts. That’s right, it’s July and – in France – a new month means new rules.

What changes in France in July 2023

With a significant portion of France under some level of drought alert, many are wondering how water restrictions and other drought-related rules could impact their French holiday this summer.

From advice on showers to rules outlawing barbecues and local restrictions on water use, here is what you need to know.

How could drought and water restrictions impact my French holiday?

The taste of barbecued food is something that we can’t get enough of, but having a BBQ does come with some problems especially if you live in a built-up area. So, as we head into summer BBQ season is approaching, but can you just light your charcoal and go in France, or are there rules to grilling?

The rules of having a BBQ in France

Moving to France with little or no French is a challenge for anyone – but for kids starting at French schools the process can be especially difficult. Or can it? There’s a perception that children simply ‘pick up’ languages with no problem, but in fact it can be quite a difficult process.

So, we spoke to parents who had successfully navigated the school system.

Parents reveal: What to expect when your non-French speaking child starts school in France

Summer’s here in France and – as they song should have gone – the time is right for hearing French women complaining of ‘les jambes lourdes‘ while pharmacies advertise remedies for ‘heavy legs’. So, what’s behind this strange ailment and why do only French women seem to suffer from it?

Why do French women suffer from ‘heavy legs’?

We round-up this week’s essential articles round-up with the answer to one final question that’s been doing the rounds online…

FACTCHECK: Is France about to impose a vegetable garden tax?

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LIVING IN FRANCE

5 tips to have the best possible night at France’s Fête de la musique

It can be the most fun day of the year - when France goes music crazy and bands suddenly appear on every street corner - but there are some tips to make your Fête de la musique experience as good as it can possibly be.

Published: 24 June 2024 11:26 CEST
5 tips to have the best possible night at France's Fête de la musique

First, a caveat – this is an entirely personal manifesto based on the things that I have enjoyed over my Fête de la Musique outings over the years. It’s not intended as any kind of hard-and-fast rule and plenty of people will have different experiences.

Feel free to disagree and/or share your festival tips in the comments section below!

1 Ignore the big-name artists

There are always a few big-name artists or concerts in major venues on the Fête de la musique (which happens every year on June 21st).

Ignore them. Sure, stadiums gigs can be great and huge venues can have a wonderful atmosphere – but you can do that any night of the year. It’s not what Fête de la musique is about.

The true spirit of the Fête is the smaller acts who play on street corners, in bars and community venues. They’re free, you can wander between them and stay as long as you like – and there is always something else around the corner.

2 Ignore the big towns

You might think that the big cities have the best music, but if you have the choice, go for a small town or a suburb.

I’ve enjoyed some good Fêtes in Paris, but the best experiences had have been smaller towns or the Paris’ suburbs (Montreuil is good – a commune that carefully cultivates a small-town / village vibe, albeit a very diverse small town where everyone is a hippy, a leftist, or both).

It’s partly a practicality thing – in big cities the acts are spread out and you have to make plans to see something and meet up with friends. In small towns, you just wander along to the main square, then when you’ve seen the acts there, you can saunter up the side streets, each of which will have dozens of bands playing, pausing only to grab a beer and snacks.

But it’s also the vibe; in big cities you can hear good live music all the time and the population is consequently complacent – small towns truly appreciate the Fête de la musique and properly go wild.

Once, in Paris, I was watching a blues band play in the street when a woman tipped water on their heads from her apartment window because she was tired and wanted to go to sleep. Small towns appreciate it when bands play for them.

3 Experiment

There’s a lot of variety on the night, so take advantage – this is your opportunity to hear all kinds of live music from rock to swing, jazz to classical, choirs to DJs.

Didn’t think that a five-piece oud band is your thing? Fête de la musique may change your mind. It’s the night of the year when anything goes, musically, so it’s also the night to try something new.

If you hate it – well it’s free and there’s another band down the street that might be more your thing. But you might discover a lifetime passion for oud music – in fact, by this time next year you might be playing in the oud band. Thanks to the Fête de la musique.

4 Don’t insist on quality

You’ll hear some great bands, but you’ll also hear some that are more about enthusiasm – and that’s all part of the fun.

You’re going to be hearing everything from classic rock to reggae to blues to the above-mentioned five-piece oud band, and as well as the styles the quality may be variable to.

For me, the true spirit of Fête de la musique is the 50-year-old accountant rocking out on his guitar and enjoying the one night of the year when he can dream that if only he hadn’t given up on his high school band, he could now be rich, famous and selling out stadiums, as opposed to filing tax declarations in an office above the florist.

5 Dress comfortably

Some people like to dress up for the Fête and that’s great – it’s a party after all – but the key thing is to wear something that is comfortable and allows you to shake your stuff.

Yes, you will be dancing – you’ll be dancing on street corners, in parks, cafés and perhaps on street furniture if things really get going, and you’ll be dancing with kids, dapper 70-year-old gents and everyone in between.

You need comfortable shoes and clothes that you can really move in.

Dance like no-one is watching. They may be watching, but they won’t be judging. Much. It’s Fête de la musique.

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