36 Night off? Potential resilience of student festive events in Montpellier facing Covid-19 Florian Guerin Université Paul-Valéry Montpellier 3, UMR 5281 ART-Dev (France) guerinflo@gmail.com | @Flo_Urba_Nuit Emanuele Giordano Université de Toulon, EA 2649 BABEL (France) emanuele.giordano@univ-tln.fr Dominique Crozat Université Paul-Valéry Montpellier 3, UMR 5281 ART-Dev (France) dominique.crozat@univ-montp3.fr Abstract In France, the Covid-19 health crisis has transformed the geography of urban nights. Public policies have developed successive measures (lockdowns, curfews, etc.) to limit the spread of the virus. Measures reduced social interactions and motives for leaving home. Evening festive and cultural activities, declared "non-essential" by the Government, were stopped, which reinforced the economic difficulties of this sector. We are studying the intermediate student city of Montpellier, in the south of France. First, we will report how the stakeholders (bartenders, prevention associations, party organizers, etc.) have adapted their professional practices during this health crisis: sanitary hygiene systems and redefinition of the ecosystem of actors for a recognition by public action in decision-making (discussion platforms, White Book, etc.). Compliance with the application of government measures - by private organizers as well as festive users - is monitored by police and military devices. Blamed for the spread of the virus, those revellers are subject to the restrictions by resigning themselves or taking a festive break. But other users privatize their party in public space into a clandestine way (rave party, apartment parties, etc.). Second, students were questioned in the situations of initial 100% lockdown (sociological survey), then during a period of reduced lockdown (semi-structured interviews) and also during a period of 50% lockdown (survey). The students' words will highlight us about resilience of the festive spirit (or at least of conviviality), and their tactics to face the policies of surveillance and the restriction of liberties put in place. The disciplinarization of behaviour in the public space - under the argument of health risk - seems to stem from a certain moral hygienism which makes nocturnal occupations by young people undesirable. They are stigmatized by the media and considered homogenously by public action, questioning their right to the night and, above all, their citizenship. Keywords : Health crisis, Students, Revelries, Public action, Intermediate cities