The news had fallen like a cleaver on May 23: the prefect of Hérault then announced the closing of bars throughout the department at 1 a.m. for the entire summer period.
However, coastal towns could require an extension until two o’clock in the morning. For the others, “It will be on a case-by-case basis, at the request of the mayor”had declared the prefecture.
A request that Michaël Delafosse, mayor of Montpellier, therefore did not make. No more than the two previous years, marked by health restrictions due to the pandemic. It has therefore been since 2019 that bars in the city center have not been able to open after 1 a.m. in the summer.
On Place Jean Jaurès, filled with bars and crowded with people, the news was greeted with some gnashing of teeth. In particular by Loïc, owner of the Joseph. He thinks lose between 500 and 1000 euros per evening because of this restriction. “For the people of Montpellier, it’s not worth it. They prefer to go to the outskirts. They change habits, places, and we don’t see them again.”
Same observation a few steps away, at Novelty. Alexandre, the manager, says to himself “disappointed, disgusted” by a decision that goes against commercial logic: “Between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m., it’s packed, there isn’t a free table. That’s where customers consume the most.”
If bar owners are unhappy, customers are also annoyed to have to pack up so early. Tensions erupt, as attested by Saoirse, waitress at Fitzpatrick, place Saint-Côme. She witnessed an exasperated customer throwing his beer at one of the waiters. An incident which, according to her, would certainly not have happened with a closing at two o’clock.
As the night passes, customers naturally leave on their own between 1 or 2 a.m. Today, some remain on the terraces despite the requests of the staff, also under pressure from the police who ensure that the closing time is respected.
This situation has been going on for three years. Today, this decision is renewed because of the discontent of local residents, victims of nocturnal uproar.