April in Paris… no, not the famous jazz standard, but the date when cafes are allowed to spread further out from their front doors with tables and service out onto sidewalks and into parking spaces.
Normally limited to a row or so of tables just outside their doors, the extended terraces first appeared during Covid, when indoor dining was banned or limited. It proved popular enough that it’s now become a regular plan, with ‘summer terraces’ (terrasses estivales) open from April 1 to October 31st, by which time demand drops off sharply. The plan is not only popular with customers, it fits with the city’s plans to open more spaces to pedestrians and reduce vehicle traffic.
However, the program is not as freeform as it was in the beginning; it now requires an annual fee of €1000 or more, depending on style and size, and there are rules on structure and style to follow. There are also other rules, including a 10 pm closing time for the extended areas to avoid disrupting local residents.
