‘Terrasse’ Time! Paris city hall extends summer terrace curfew • FRANCE 24 English

come back to France now but for something a little less politics related here in Paris starting today the city’s Terraces and outdoor dining areas can stay open until midnight we’re going to talk about this more with Salange M who joins me on the set hi Salan Hi D so just to start why did Paris decide to extend these hours well quite simply to allow people to fa la Fett or to party uh to celebrate the summer uh and above all the Olympic Games uh paris’s City Hall announced this past spring that it was going to do something special uh for the games in regard to one of the major emblems of French society Le teas uh it decided that starting July 1st today that the city’s cafes bars and restaurants could keep their summer outdoor eating and drinking areas open until midnight instead of 10 p.m. so for Cafe and Restaurant owners this is great news uh as the 10 p.m. cut off well it has often been a source of a lot of frustration when the Cur when that is when the curfew is respected the 10:00 rule was a bit difficult to have to explain to clients that they had to leave at 10 p.m. with the closing of terraces at 10 p.m. we have the difficulty of not being able to do a second seating for diners or even drinks on the Terrace it creates profits that aren’t trivial now this until midnight Cinderella like extension runs until the end of the par Olympic games on Sunday September 8th it is the city say the city says a way for parisians and tourists to basically reap the benefits of the games by going to a match and then after those matches being able to have aad viiv moment or have a a meal uh a drink al fresco So Sol tell us a bit more about the history of teres how did they come to be so associated with Paris and France in general well it comes the the Latin term it comes from the Latin teras uh which means Earth or te in French and the term of course initially referred to the flat land used in agriculture but as for the habit of sitting and having a drink or a cafe in the sun other nations like Italy and Spain they also have strong terrrace cultures uh which stem actually from the uh influence of the Ottoman Empire uh just like coffee which is often associated with these terroristes um this is the case as well in France uh but in Paris where the climate a bit cooler it’s thought that Terraces really got their wings of sorts when Louis the 14th redesigned the city first as rented out spaces along wooden boardwalks that were actually covering pits and then as a place to admire the surrounding Countryside uh along paris’s exterior uh areas um now uh uh it these Terraces are at once a place where you observe the world but are also observed it is has much to do with parisians relationship to the street and since the 1th Century in happy times but also in politically fraught ones you could even say right now but but in in in very serious ones as well like World War II uh the city’s Terraces they have stayed constant they’ve been places where people talk they catch up they take a moment to reflect redesigned the world as the French often say uh it is this beastro culture that the French but also visitors are so attached to be it in Paris or across the country rain or shine we’re always sitting on the Terrace when we get cold we ask for a blanket from the owner it’s not raining even if it’s cold we’ll be here because I smoke with the open air Ambiance we’re chilling we need it man we missed it today people want to go out and be together to have fun of course it does create noise and bother for those that want to stay calm okay so so laun keeping the teres open to midnight is great for many people except for those perhaps live just above the cafe I mean noise has already been a problem in French cities and especially with outdoor Terraces and especially in Paris so what kind of problems is that going to cause well the the the the up the uptake really happened D because of a shift during covid uh to help cafes and restaurants uh the city allowed them to take over two parking spots in front of their businesses as well as one to the left and one to the right uh after covid now these teras Epal or Epal Al and summer Terraces they were such a success that the city made this an annual thing but on the condition uh that they that they these uh shops and restaurants have a permit and they pay a rental fee for these temporary spots uh this is during the Sumer uh warmer months this year the season kicked off April 1st for some 4,000 of these summer Terraces and it runs until the end of October now such moves are part of a bigger larger Quest by the city to make Paris more agreeable walkable Less Car focused but as you mentioned uh it’s also created a number of noise complaints over 20,000 complaints were made last year because of these temporary Terraces thousands of fines were also issued so it’s still very much a work in progress between those that want to sleep they may live Above The Terraces and those who want to party but one thing is for sure the city wants parisians uh and visitors to have fun during the games and it’s allowing bars that ask for permission for this to stay open all night long for the opening ceremony so there are some wild times oh for sure all right Solange thank you for that little breath of fresh air stepping away from French politics they’re talking about French Terraces San thank you so much

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 the noise.
#terrasse #paris #terrace

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