Florian Sitbon Appointed as Paris Deputy Mayor for Culture

Florian Sitbon, a 49-year-old theater director and Paris councilor since 2020, has been appointed as deputy mayor for culture in the administration of Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire. The appointment occurred on April 1, 2026, marking a shift toward more grassroots artistic representation in Parisian cultural policy. Sitbon's portfolio includes cultural affairs, cultural sovereignty, and support for independent media, with an emphasis on artistic autonomy and popular culture. He has a background in independent theater, having founded the Compagnie Florian Sitbon in 1997 (later renamed Compagnie Darius in 2016) and the Studio de Formation Théâtrale in Vitry-sur-Seine in 2006. His career includes training at the Conservatoire national supérieur d'art dramatique and collaborations with notable figures like Piotr Fomenko and Peter Mussbach. As a councilor representing the 15th arrondissement, Sitbon has advocated for hip-hop culture, describing it as a global popular culture, and supported funding for related projects. The 2026 cultural budget for Paris is set at 252 million euros, with operational expenses of 183 million euros and investments of 64 million euros. Opposition groups have criticized the budget increase as artificial, citing reduced investment allocations. Sitbon succeeds previous cultural deputies including Carine Rolland and Christophe Girard, bringing a profile rooted in independent creation rather than institutional management.