A demonstration on October 31, 2026 is being planned in Paris. The Yellow Vest coordination group has called for an “Act III” this Saturday, Halloween, with a renewed focus on defending civil liberties. If the call is heeded, rallies could take place outside the National Assembly, in the 7th arrondissement, as well as outside town halls, including those in Paris’s arrondissements. On Monday, October 26, speaking from Marseille, Emmanuel Macron nevertheless announced that march routes would be set outside city centers to protect businesses.
Nothing is set in stone yet. On Tuesday, October 27, the coordination group filed a route with the prefecture, linking Bastille to Concorde via République and Opéra, contrary to the president’s instructions. At this stage, the Paris police prefecture has yet to issue a decision, and the interior minister has announced enhanced security measures. High school students, on Toussaint break until November 2, are being invited to join the movement. Here’s a look at what has been announced and how it could affect your travel plans this weekend, just days before the November 5, 2026 strike.
The president addressed the nation on Monday, October 26, during a visit to Marseille, one of the cities hardest hit by the damage on October 17. He announced that the routes for the demonstrations on October 31 and then November 5 would be set outside city centers. The stated aim is to prevent further looting and protect businesses on a Saturday he himself considers high-risk.
The head of state is pointing to what happened last Saturday. On October 24, the Paris police prefecture had pushed the march to the outskirts of the capital, between Porte d'Italie and Porte de Vincennes. Emmanuel Macron said the measure had made it possible to maintain order without denying anyone the right to demonstrate. He also recalled that a fund had been set up to provide financial support to affected shopkeepers and craftspeople.
In Paris, the order could complicate the gatherings planned outside the National Assembly, in the heart of the 7th arrondissement. Shopping districts such as Châtelet-Les Halles, République and Opéra are also expected to be kept off the route of any march. The strategy is controversial because it also keeps the protesters’ demands out of sight. Above all, it conflicts with the route filed on Tuesday by the Yellow Vests, which is specifically aimed at the heart of the capital.
The appeal was read on Saturday, October 24, on the steps of the Opéra Bastille, then presented to the press at Place de la Bastille by two members of the coordinating group, Benjamin Ball and Azelma Sigaux, as reported by Brut, citing AFP. The format being considered would be different: rather than a long march, the movement would focus on static gatherings. Here is the proposed program on the coordinating group’s website, which at this stage remains a call to action:
In the capital, the crowdsourced map of protests already shows sit-ins being considered outside several arrondissement town halls, notably those of Paris Centre and the 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th and 15th arrondissements. The map is updated by participants themselves: it indicates a trend, not a confirmed schedule, and may still change before Saturday. We have already published an initial overview of the areas and routes that could be affected by Act III.
The tone has changed in two weeks. On October 17, the protests were initially focused on the high cost of living and fuel prices. For this third day of action, the Yellow Vests are denouncing what they call the government’s “authoritarian drift,” following bans on marches and curfews imposed in several cities. Their idea boils down to one slogan: protest for the right to protest.
In their statement, they are calling for curfews to be lifted, protesters who have been arrested to be granted amnesty, investigations into violence attributed to law enforcement, and a general assembly bringing together all the sectors involved. They are also calling for the creation of “convergence assemblies” bringing together high school students, university students, employees, farmers and retirees. On the legal front, the Adelico association and the Syndicat de la magistrature filed an emergency application for the protection of fundamental freedoms with the Conseil d’État on October 22, challenging presidential announcements aimed at restricting certain demonstrations.
This shift is also explained by what happened last Saturday, October 24. At the last minute, the police prefecture imposed a route between Porte d'Italie and Porte de Vincennes, on the outskirts of Paris, replacing the Bastille–Nation route that had initially been approved. The organizers eventually complied after their legal challenge was rejected. This scenario looks set to recur, as Emmanuel Macron wants to extend the same principle to future demonstrations: the prefecture can still regulate, relocate or ban gatherings planned for the 31st. For a look back at the day, our article on the second round of protests on October 24 is still available.
The high school student movement is another driving force behind the protests. It began in mid-September at a high school in Créteil, in Val-de-Marne, and spread across France. The High School Students’ Union was calling, among other things, for the abolition of Parcoursup and a €10 billion plan for high schools. The condition of school buildings and timetables also often feature among the demands.
In Paris, young people have already taken to the streets several times: at the high school and university students’ protest on October 6, and then at the October 13 march, which set off from Place d’Italie.
The school holidays have not put the movement on hold. The National High School Students’ Coordination, which says it brings together schools involved in protests in 27 cities, also demonstrated on October 22 and 24. The government’s announcements have not quelled the anger: after meeting with officials at Matignon on Monday, several high school student representatives said the responses were inadequate and called for protests to continue this Saturday, according to franceinfo. The SUD éducation union is also urging staff to support high school and student initiatives that day.
After an initial meeting with Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée on October 23, high school and student organizations were received at the Hôtel de Matignon on Monday, October 26. Sébastien Lecornu’s government then confirmed the end of Parcoursup. The platform is to be replaced by a new admissions system in 2028. Until then, the 2027 application cycle will use a thoroughly overhauled version, with greater transparency around courses’ selection criteria.
The successor does not yet have a name. A reform committee bringing together high school students, teachers and ministers is due to present its conclusions by the end of November. According to Higher Education Minister Philippe Baptiste, some changes will require amendments to the law, franceinfo reports. A debate without a vote on the platform’s future is also scheduled for Wednesday, October 28, in the National Assembly. Timetable, students affected, new rules: read our article on the end of Parcoursup and what will change in 2027 and 2028.
Other measures accompany this announcement. The government plans to add 15,000 places in higher education. Starting in the 2027 school year, class sizes in the equivalent of 10th grade will also be capped at 28 students in public high schools serving the most disadvantaged students. Youth organizations, for their part, are calling for 250,000 places.
For student representatives, these announcements remain too vague. They do not immediately address the issue of students left without a place after high school. This year’s final-year students will still have to go through Parcoursup in 2027. The Renouveau lycéen union says some 800,000 high school students took part in the day of demonstrations bringing together the Yellow Vests and teachers.
Still on holiday on Saturday, some high school students could join the Yellow Vest demonstrations, though their numbers are impossible to predict. Attention is also turning to the return to school on Monday, November 2, followed by a major student mobilization planned for Tuesday, November 3, and the strike on November 5.
On Tuesday, October 27, the coordination group officially notified the Paris police headquarters of its route, according to Le Parisien. This time, the organizers want to march through central Paris, with the National Assembly in their sights. Here are the stages of the route requested by the Yellow Vests:
This route runs alongside several busy shopping districts around the Opéra and Madeleine areas. That is precisely what the authorities want to avoid. On the previous two days, the prefecture had already rejected the proposed routes. The march is due to start at 2 p.m., according to franceinfo.
This time, the organizers say they are prepared to see it through. David Libeskind, a lawyer for the coordinating group, warned that if the request is denied, the movement will file a complaint for infringement of the freedom to demonstrate or seek an urgent ruling from the administrative court, as reported by France 3 Paris Île-de-France. Contacted on Tuesday, the police prefecture had not responded.
The situation remains tense. Last Saturday, October 24, 410,000 people took part in demonstrations across France, including 110,000 in Paris, according to the Interior Ministry, compared with nearly 800,000 nationwide, including 250,000 in the capital, according to the CGT, reports ICI. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez reported nearly 1,000 arrests across the country. In Paris, the police prefecture recorded 142 arrests, 120 of which led to people being taken into custody. A week earlier, on October 17, 855 people had been arrested in the capital amid looting in the city center. Since then, nighttime curfews have been imposed around Place de la République and Les Halles, and stations have been closed in the evenings.
For this Saturday, the government is bracing for another difficult day. Speaking to BFMTV on Monday, Laurent Nuñez announced an extremely robust security operation, noting that Halloween night is traditionally a turbulent one. On Tuesday, speaking to RTL, he said the resources deployed would be as extensive as on October 24.
The final route has yet to be confirmed as well. On the one hand, the Yellow Vests have submitted a Bastille-to-Concorde route. On the other, the president has called for marches to be held outside city centers. The Paris police prefecture will have to decide in the coming days. It can approve the route, change it or require a route on the outskirts, as it did on October 24 between Porte d'Italie and Porte de Vincennes.
On the transport front, no closures have been announced for now. However, the precedent set on Saturday, October 24 calls for caution: at the request of the Paris Police Prefecture, numerous metro stations were closed from 9 a.m., particularly around the Champs-Élysées, the Élysée Palace, the National Assembly, government ministries and the Senate. Line 12 was no longer running between Madeleine and Notre-Dame-des-Champs, and several stations on Line 1 had to be taken out of service.
If demonstrations outside the National Assembly on the 31st go ahead, a similar arrangement could be put in place again. Nearby stations such as Assemblée nationale and Solférino (line 12), Invalides (lines 8 and 13, RER C) or Concorde (lines 1, 8 and 12) could then be closed for part of the day. If the Bastille–Concorde route were approved, stations such as Bastille, République, Opéra and Madeleine could also be affected.
Traffic restrictions are also possible. On October 24, tram line T3 was suspended on part of its route, and around 15 bus routes were diverted or shortened. Next Saturday, a security perimeter around the Palais Bourbon could lead to the closure of the Quai d’Orsay, the Pont de la Concorde or part of Boulevard Saint-Germain to cars, along with bus diversions and parking bans. The police prefecture could also ban all gatherings in certain areas, as it has done in recent days.
These measures are generally announced the day before, or even on the morning itself. We recommend checking the orders issued by the Paris Police Prefecture and the RATP traffic updates before travelling on Saturday.
The date also falls on Halloween night, with plenty of parties planned in the capital. If you’re heading out, our pick of the Halloween 2026 parties in Paris and our ideas for celebrating without a reservation on October 31 will help you keep a plan B in mind, away from any potential gatherings.
In the minds of its organizers, Act III would serve as a springboard to a far more eagerly anticipated date: Thursday, November 5. On that day, the inter-union group (CFDT, CGT, FO, Unsa and FSU) is calling for an all-sector strike over wages, pensions and public services. Here too, Emmanuel Macron has warned that march routes would be kept out of city centers.
A major turnout is expected. After a meeting at Matignon on October 21 that was deemed fruitless, the CGT called for the strike to be extended nationwide on November 5. The action was backed by the CFDT and the Snes-FSU, the leading union for secondary school teachers. The main unions at SNCF are also calling for workers to stop work that day. The Yellow Vests are considering joining them, with a call for a renewable strike and blockade, ahead of an announced Act IV on Saturday, November 7.
Transport, schools, the route through Paris: get the latest in our article on the demonstration and strike on November 5, 2026. Unlike a Saturday sit-in, this day is likely to have a significant impact on daily life for people across the Île-de-France region.
Dates and Opening Time
On October 31, 2026
Location
Assemblée Nationale - Palais Bourbon
35 Quai d'Orsay
75007 Paris 7
Route planner
Official website
17octobregiletjaune.net
