On the Agenda: What's happening in France this week
From Easter festivals to potentially delayed salaries and a major new art exhibition, here's what is happening in France this week.
Monday
Holi - The Hindu festival, also known as the Festival of Colours, Love, and Spring takes place on Monday. It celebrates the arrival of spring.
Lunar eclipse - There will be a lunar eclipse on Monday, and it will be partially visible from western Europe. Unfortunately the conditions will not be 'favourable' to get a good view of it from mainland France. It will last four hours and 39 minutes, starting at 5:33 am, hitting a peak at 8:12 am, and ending at 10:32 am.
Tuesday
Strikes at French news networks - Unions representing journalists at France Inter, France info, and France Culture are calling for walkouts due to a merging of health services between the different networks.
France v Chile - Ahead of the Euros, France will play Chile in a friendly match at the Stade Orange Vélodrome in Marseille, starting at 9pm.
Impressionism exhibitions - Celebrating the 150th anniversary of art movement that was born in 1874, a series of museums will host impressionism exhibitions starting during the month of March. Paris' Musée d'Orsay, which has the world's best collection of impressionists, will host the exhibition '1874: Inventing Impressionism' starting on Tuesday.
READ MORE: 8 French special exhibitions to mark 150th anniversary of Impressionism
Thursday
Salaries delayed for some in France - If you were set to receive your monthly salary in France on March 28th, it may not reach your bank account until Tuesday, April 2nd. This is due to bank closures, running from Thursday night to Monday, as a result of the public holidays surrounding Easter.
Friday
Good Friday - While Good Friday is not a bank holiday in the rest of France, people in Alsace-Lorraine will get a day off from work, due to the area's unique history having been passed off between France and Germany for centuries.
READ MORE: What's open in France over Easter weekend?
The Foire des Hérolles - The event has existed since the Middle Ages. It takes place on the 29th of the month, each month, in central France, in the commune of Coulonges-les-Hérolles going from 8am to 1:30pm. The fair involves over 400 stands - offering textiles, showing animals, fresh products and crafts. Thousands of visitors attend.
Saturday
Scotland v France - As part of the Women's Six Nations Rugby Championship, Scotland and France will go head to head on Saturday at 3:15pm (2:15 PM GMT) at the Hive Stadium in Edinburgh.
Sunday
Easter Sunday - From 'flying bells' and large omelettes to Chasse aux oeufs (Easter egg hunts), there are plenty of different ways French people celebrate Pâques.
READ MORE: Flying bells and giant omelettes: Eight ways the French celebrate Easter
Energy benefits - The energy voucher (chèque energie) paid to 5.6 million households on April 21st, 2023, to help them pay their electricity and gas bills, expires on March 31st, 2024.
Increased medical charges - The French government announced in January a doubling of the franchises médicales from March 31st - this is the amount that is deducted from a medical cost before you are reimbursed.
End of the winter trêve - The annual winter ‘truce’, when tenants cannot be evicted from their rented homes for non-payment of rent, ends as it does every year on March 31st.
Clocks change - We all lose an hour’s sleep as the clocks go forward on March 31st.
. . . and don't forget that Monday is a public holiday, so there will likely be reduced or altered opening hours for many organisations. It's also 'April fish' day, so watch out for people trying to prank you.
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Monday
Holi - The Hindu festival, also known as the Festival of Colours, Love, and Spring takes place on Monday. It celebrates the arrival of spring.
Lunar eclipse - There will be a lunar eclipse on Monday, and it will be partially visible from western Europe. Unfortunately the conditions will not be 'favourable' to get a good view of it from mainland France. It will last four hours and 39 minutes, starting at 5:33 am, hitting a peak at 8:12 am, and ending at 10:32 am.
Tuesday
Strikes at French news networks - Unions representing journalists at France Inter, France info, and France Culture are calling for walkouts due to a merging of health services between the different networks.
France v Chile - Ahead of the Euros, France will play Chile in a friendly match at the Stade Orange Vélodrome in Marseille, starting at 9pm.
Impressionism exhibitions - Celebrating the 150th anniversary of art movement that was born in 1874, a series of museums will host impressionism exhibitions starting during the month of March. Paris' Musée d'Orsay, which has the world's best collection of impressionists, will host the exhibition '1874: Inventing Impressionism' starting on Tuesday.
READ MORE: 8 French special exhibitions to mark 150th anniversary of Impressionism
Thursday
Salaries delayed for some in France - If you were set to receive your monthly salary in France on March 28th, it may not reach your bank account until Tuesday, April 2nd. This is due to bank closures, running from Thursday night to Monday, as a result of the public holidays surrounding Easter.
Friday
Good Friday - While Good Friday is not a bank holiday in the rest of France, people in Alsace-Lorraine will get a day off from work, due to the area's unique history having been passed off between France and Germany for centuries.
READ MORE: What's open in France over Easter weekend?
The Foire des Hérolles - The event has existed since the Middle Ages. It takes place on the 29th of the month, each month, in central France, in the commune of Coulonges-les-Hérolles going from 8am to 1:30pm. The fair involves over 400 stands - offering textiles, showing animals, fresh products and crafts. Thousands of visitors attend.
Saturday
Scotland v France - As part of the Women's Six Nations Rugby Championship, Scotland and France will go head to head on Saturday at 3:15pm (2:15 PM GMT) at the Hive Stadium in Edinburgh.
Sunday
Easter Sunday - From 'flying bells' and large omelettes to Chasse aux oeufs (Easter egg hunts), there are plenty of different ways French people celebrate Pâques.
READ MORE: Flying bells and giant omelettes: Eight ways the French celebrate Easter
Energy benefits - The energy voucher (chèque energie) paid to 5.6 million households on April 21st, 2023, to help them pay their electricity and gas bills, expires on March 31st, 2024.
Increased medical charges - The French government announced in January a doubling of the franchises médicales from March 31st - this is the amount that is deducted from a medical cost before you are reimbursed.
End of the winter trêve - The annual winter ‘truce’, when tenants cannot be evicted from their rented homes for non-payment of rent, ends as it does every year on March 31st.
Clocks change - We all lose an hour’s sleep as the clocks go forward on March 31st.
. . . and don't forget that Monday is a public holiday, so there will likely be reduced or altered opening hours for many organisations. It's also 'April fish' day, so watch out for people trying to prank you.
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