Avignon Mayor Olivier Galzi Warns Culture Budget Unsustainable Without New Revenue

Key facts

• Olivier Galzi, 54, a former France 2 and LCI journalist, was elected unaffiliated mayor of Avignon in March 2026 and has presided over the Grand Avignon agglomeration since June.
• Avignon carries €216 million in consolidated debt; in 2025 only €21.7 million was available to repay €22.3 million in annual debt, and Galzi warns cultural funding ends by 2028 without corrective action.
• Culture represents almost €44 million of Avignon's 2026 primary budget; the city cut the second half of cultural subsidies by 10%, an effective 5% annual reduction matching the state's own rate.
• A €500,000 exhibition promised to Macha Makeïeff was cancelled by the previous municipal team, which had confirmed the commitment in a letter.
• The Petit Palais remains closed for lack of guards and security funding despite exceptional holdings, notably Italian primitives from the Campana collection.
• A "Louvre en Avignon" label was discussed in late September with the culture minister and the Louvre director, with reopening envisaged via the historic Pont d'Avignon access and a projected cost of €30 million.
• Galzi is forming an endowment fund with two of three regional corporate partners secured, targeting completion by the end of the year.
• Paid museum admission is expected to generate €200,000 to €400,000, with free access preserved for Avignon residents one Sunday or weekend per month; the Festival d'Avignon costs €1 million each to the city and Grand Avignon, and a new "Pontificales" project is budgeted at about €300,000.