Major museums and cultural venues temporarily close across France
Major museums and cultural venues across France, including the Louvre, closed on Saturday as a new wave of nationwide protests drew an estimated 410,000 people onto the streets. Authorities deployed 70,000 police officers and gendarmes in response.
The French Ministry of Culture had announced in advance that leading Paris institutions, including the Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay, the Orangerie Museum, the Grand Palais and the Picasso Museum, would remain closed for safety reasons. Several venues said visitors who had purchased tickets through official channels would receive automatic refunds.
The closures extended beyond the initial list. In Paris, the Petit Palais, the Maison de Victor Hugo and Sainte-Chapelle also shut for the day. Outside the capital, the Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilisations in Marseille and the Musée des Confluences in Lyon followed suit.
The performing arts sector was also affected. The Opéra national de Paris confirmed the closure of both the Palais Garnier and the Opéra Bastille. Other performances, exhibitions and cultural events across the capital were canceled or rescheduled.
Ahead of anticipated unrest, banks, luxury boutiques and food shops near the Louvre and the Palais Garnier boarded up their windows and doors.
The impact on France’s cultural sector has extended beyond venue operations to consumer spending. Several Parisian theaters reported slower ticket sales as concerns about looting and regional curfews discouraged audiences from attending performances.
Demonstrations were authorized in eight cities nationwide, including Lille, Strasbourg and Marseille. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said Saturday evening that police had arrested nearly 1,000 people during the day. The General Confederation of Labour (CGT), however, estimated turnout at nearly 800,000, almost twice the official figure.
Saturday’s demonstrations followed a wave of protests on Oct. 17 that drew around 550,000 people and resulted in 2,397 arrests amid violence, according to the Interior Ministry.
According to CCTV+, the demonstrations disrupted operations at museums, theaters and other cultural institutions across France, while also affecting retail businesses and the wider leisure sector.
