To ring in the festivities for the Summer Olympics, French "terrasses", or outdoor eating and drinking areas, can now stay open until midnight. We dive into why they are cherished in France, and how they are also a source of ire because of their noise.
This Entre Nous aired on Paris Direct, July 1, 2024. A programme produced by Amanda Alexander, Marina Pajovic and Georgina Robertson.
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This Entre Nous aired on Paris Direct, July 1, 2024. A programme produced by Amanda Alexander, Marina Pajovic and Georgina Robertson.
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http://www.france24.com
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NewsTranscript
00:00Come back to France now, but for something a little less politics-related, here in Paris,
00:04starting today, the city's terraces and outdoor dining areas can stay open until midnight.
00:10We're going to talk about this more with Solange Mougin, who joins me on the set.
00:14Hi, Solange.
00:15Hi, Denise.
00:16So, just to start, why did Paris decide to extend these hours?
00:18Well, quite simply to allow people to faire la fĂȘte, or to party, to celebrate the summer,
00:25and above all, the Olympic Games.
00:28Paris' city hall announced this past spring that it was going to do something special
00:33for the Games in regard to one of the major emblems of French society, les terrasses.
00:38It decided that starting July 1st, today, that the city's cafes, bars and restaurants
00:43could keep their summer outdoor eating and drinking areas open until midnight, instead
00:48of 10pm.
00:49So, for cafe and restaurant owners, this is great news.
00:52As the 10pm cut-off, well, it has often been a source of a lot of frustration.
00:58When?
00:59That is, when the curfew is respected.
01:05The 10 o'clock rule was a bit difficult, to have to explain to clients that they had to
01:09leave at 10pm.
01:13With the closing of terraces at 10pm, we have the difficulty of not being able to do a second
01:18seating for diners, or even drinks on the terrace.
01:22It creates profits that aren't trivial.
01:25Now, this until-midnight, Cinderella-like extension runs until the end of the Paralympic
01:32Games on Sunday, September 8th.
01:35It is, the city says, a way for Parisians and tourists to basically reap the benefits
01:40of the Games by going to a match, and then after those matches, being able to have a
01:44joie de vivre moment, or have a meal, a drink, al fresco.
01:49So, Solange, tell us a bit more about the history of terraces.
01:53How did they come to be so associated with Paris and France in general?
01:57Well, it comes, the Latin term, it comes from the Latin term terra sous, which means earth
02:03or terre in French, and the term, of course, initially referred to the flat land used in
02:08agriculture.
02:10But as for the habit of sitting and having a drink or a café in the sun, other nations
02:14like Italy and Spain, they also have strong terrace cultures, which stem actually from
02:19the influence of the Ottoman Empire, just like coffee, which is often associated with
02:24these terraces.
02:26This is the case as well in France.
02:28But in Paris, where the climate is a bit cooler, it's thought that terraces really got their
02:32wings of sorts when Louis XIV redesigned the city, first as rented out spaces along wooden
02:38boardwalks that were actually covering pits, and then as a place to admire the surrounding
02:42countryside along Paris's exterior areas.
02:48Now, these terraces are at once a place where you observe the world, but are also observed.
02:54It has much to do with Parisians' relationship to the street.
02:59And since the 17th century, in happy times, but also in politically fraught ones, you
03:03could even say right now, but in very serious ones as well, like World War II, the city's
03:09terraces, they have stayed constant.
03:11They've been places where people talk, they catch up, they take a moment to reflect, redesigned
03:16the world, as the French often say.
03:19It is this bistro culture that the French, but also visitors, are so attached to, be
03:24it in Paris or across the country.
03:29Rain or shine, we're always sitting on the terrace.
03:31When we get cold, we ask for a blanket from the owner.
03:36It's not raining.
03:37Even if it's cold, we'll be here because I smoke.
03:40With the open air ambience, we're chilling.
03:43We need it.
03:44We missed it.
03:45Today, people want to go out and be together, to have fun.
03:49Of course, it does create noise and a bother for those that want to stay calm.
03:53OK, so Solange, keeping the terraces open to midnight is great for many people, except
03:59for those who perhaps live just above the café.
04:01I mean, noise has already been a problem in French cities, and especially with outdoor
04:06terraces and especially in Paris.
04:08So what kind of problems is that going to cause?
04:11The uptick really happened because of a shift during COVID.
04:15To help cafés and restaurants, the city allowed them to take over two parking spots in front
04:21of their businesses, as well as one to the left and one to the right, after COVID.
04:26Now, these terraces éphémÚres and estivales, or ephemeral and summer terraces, they were
04:31such a success that the city made this an annual thing.
04:35But on the condition that these shops and restaurants have a permit and they pay a rental
04:41fee for these temporary spots.
04:43This is during the summer, warmer months.
04:46This year, the season kicked off April 1st for some 4,000 of these summer terraces, and
04:50it runs until the end of October.
04:52Now, such moves are part of a bigger, larger quest by the city to make Paris more agreeable,
04:57walkable, less car-focused.
05:00But as you mentioned, it's also created a number of noise complaints.
05:04Over 20,000 complaints were made last year because of these temporary terraces.
05:10Thousands of fines were also issued.
05:12So it's still very much a work in progress between those that want to sleep, that may
05:16live above the terraces, and those who want to party.
05:19But one thing is for sure, the city wants Parisians and visitors to have fun during
05:24the games.
05:25And it's allowing bars that ask for permission for this to stay open all night long for the
05:29opening ceremony.
05:31So there are some wild times ahead.
05:33Oh, for sure.
05:34All right, Solange, thank you for that little breath of fresh air, stepping away from French
05:37politics there, talking about French terraces.
05:39Solange Mejean, thank you so much.