Food vendors launch petition to stop ban from Saint-Gilles Parvis

Vendors active at the daily food market on the Parvis in Saint-Gilles are protesting at plans to limit the market to weekends only following works currently being carried out on the square. The square is a hub of activity, with market stalls and food trucks parked there on a daily basis, supplementing the busy bars and restaurants.

Hugely popular with locals and tourist alike, the square is being refurbished. Once it’s finished, the market will be limited to weekends only, the municipality has decided.

The food market vendors will also be allowed to set up in front of the Saint-Gilles church at one end of the square Wednesday through Friday. But the food trucks are being permanently relocated to Place Marie Janson across Rue de Moscou.

“Banning us from the Parvis is a death sentence,” Olivier Vuylsteke, owner of food truck El Taco Mobile, told Bruzz. “The foot traffic on Marie Janson and in front of the church is much more limited than it is on the bustling Parvis, with its terraces, shops and metro and bus stops.”

The vendors have started a petition to try to convince the municipal council to let them all return to the Parvis when the time comes. It has garnered more than 400 signatures in five days.