Extended outdoor bar hours for Olympics anger Parisians

PARIS — Several associations representing residents in Paris on Tuesday denounced plans to allow bars and restaurants to keep their outdoor summer terraces open later than usual during the Olympics, saying the change would impact the locals.

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo announced last Friday that temporary summer terraces could be used for food and drinks until midnight, instead of 10 pm, from July 1 until the end of the Olympics and Paralympics on Sept 8.

Around one in five venues in Paris — 3,000 out of 15,000 — has a license for a summer terrace, according to city hall figures.

A joint statement from two residents' associations, Droit au Sommeil and Vivre Paris, said they were "alarmed" that the mayor's office was "supporting in an over-the-top way the revenues of restaurant owners to the detriment of the health and sleep of the people it administers."

Noise complaints are a common feature of life in densely populated Paris, with the temporary summer terraces introduced by Hidalgo during the COVID-19 pandemic becoming a new source of friction.

The regulations put in place in 2021 have previously been criticized by residents and elected representatives as some establishments have not respected the rules regarding the opening times and locations of their terraces.

But supporters say vibrant street life is part of the capital's character.

The summer terraces are seen as an extension of the historic pavement seating areas that have been a feature of Parisian bars and restaurants for centuries.

Frederic Hocquard, the deputy mayor in charge of the nighttime economy, said the city had made a "social and festive choice" in allowing the terraces to stay open later than usual during the Olympics, which begin on July 28.

He added that they helped "regulate public space at night" and made streets safer.

The Paris Games, the first time the Olympics are being held in the City of Light in a century, have been hit by controversies in recent months over the price of tickets and transport.

French organizers and the International Olympic Committee have played them down as typical issues before the event. "It's obvious that the months preceding the Olympic Games are not the easiest," said the IOC executive in charge of coordination for the Paris Games, Pierre-Olivier Beckers-Vieujant.

Agencies via Xinhua