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Public holidays in France
Next public holiday
Christmas Day
Friday 25 December 2026, in 42 days.
Public holidays 2026
11 public holidays, of which 2 fall on a Saturday or Sunday; 3 possible bridge days (a day off between a holiday and the weekend): Friday 2 January (New Year’s Day), Friday 15 May (Ascension Day), Monday 13 July (Bastille Day).
| Date | Public holiday |
|---|---|
| 1JanThursday | New Year’s Day (Jour de l’an)possible bridge day on Friday |
| 6AprMonday | Easter Monday (Lundi de Pâques)three-day weekend |
| 1MayFriday | Labour Day (Fête du Travail)three-day weekend |
| 8MayFriday | Victory in Europe Day (Victoire 1945)three-day weekend |
| 14MayThursday | Ascension Day (Ascension)possible bridge day on Friday |
| 25MayMonday | Whit Monday (Lundi de Pentecôte)three-day weekend · often a “solidarity day” worked unpaid |
| 14JulTuesday | Bastille Day (Fête nationale)possible bridge day on Monday |
| 15AugSaturday | Assumption Day (Assomption)falls on a weekend |
| 1NovSunday | All Saints’ Day (Toussaint)falls on a weekend |
| 11NovWednesday | Armistice Day (Armistice 1918) |
| 25DecFriday | Christmas Day (Noël)three-day weekend |
Alsace-Moselle: also Good Friday (Friday 3 April) and St Stephen’s Day (Saturday 26 December).
Public holidays 2027
11 public holidays, of which 4 fall on a Saturday or Sunday; 2 possible bridge days (a day off between a holiday and the weekend): Friday 7 May (Ascension Day), Friday 12 November (Armistice Day).
| Date | Public holiday |
|---|---|
| 1JanFriday | New Year’s Day (Jour de l’an)three-day weekend |
| 29MarMonday | Easter Monday (Lundi de Pâques)three-day weekend |
| 1MaySaturday | Labour Day (Fête du Travail)falls on a weekend |
| 6MayThursday | Ascension Day (Ascension)possible bridge day on Friday |
| 8MaySaturday | Victory in Europe Day (Victoire 1945)falls on a weekend |
| 17MayMonday | Whit Monday (Lundi de Pentecôte)three-day weekend · often a “solidarity day” worked unpaid |
| 14JulWednesday | Bastille Day (Fête nationale) |
| 15AugSunday | Assumption Day (Assomption)falls on a weekend |
| 1NovMonday | All Saints’ Day (Toussaint)three-day weekend |
| 11NovThursday | Armistice Day (Armistice 1918)possible bridge day on Friday |
| 25DecSaturday | Christmas Day (Noël)falls on a weekend |
Alsace-Moselle: also Good Friday (Friday 26 March) and St Stephen’s Day (Sunday 26 December).
Public holidays 2028
11 public holidays, of which 2 fall on a Saturday or Sunday; 2 possible bridge days (a day off between a holiday and the weekend): Friday 26 May (Ascension Day), Monday 14 August (Assumption Day).
| Date | Public holiday |
|---|---|
| 1JanSaturday | New Year’s Day (Jour de l’an)falls on a weekend |
| 17AprMonday | Easter Monday (Lundi de Pâques)three-day weekend |
| 1MayMonday | Labour Day (Fête du Travail)three-day weekend |
| 8MayMonday | Victory in Europe Day (Victoire 1945)three-day weekend |
| 25MayThursday | Ascension Day (Ascension)possible bridge day on Friday |
| 5JunMonday | Whit Monday (Lundi de Pentecôte)three-day weekend · often a “solidarity day” worked unpaid |
| 14JulFriday | Bastille Day (Fête nationale)three-day weekend |
| 15AugTuesday | Assumption Day (Assomption)possible bridge day on Monday |
| 1NovWednesday | All Saints’ Day (Toussaint) |
| 11NovSaturday | Armistice Day (Armistice 1918)falls on a weekend |
| 25DecMonday | Christmas Day (Noël)three-day weekend |
Alsace-Moselle: also Good Friday (Friday 14 April) and St Stephen’s Day (Tuesday 26 December).
The rules
The French Labour Code (Article L3133-1) sets eleven public holidays. Only 1 May is a compulsory paid day off for all employees; for the others, time off depends on the collective agreement or company practice. Whit Monday is often used as the “solidarity day” (worked without extra pay), introduced in 2004 to fund care for elderly and disabled people.
Easter falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon of spring (by the ecclesiastical calculation): Easter Monday, Ascension Day (39 days after Easter, always a Thursday) and Whit Monday (50 days after) therefore change date every year.
Alsace and Moselle
In the Bas-Rhin, Haut-Rhin and Moselle departments, Good Friday and 26 December (St Stephen’s Day) are also public holidays (Article L3134-13 of the Labour Code), a legacy of local law.
Overseas territories
The abolition of slavery is commemorated by a public holiday specific to each territory (law of 30 June 1983 and its decrees):
- Mayotte27 April (Tuesday in 2027)
- Martinique22 May (Saturday in 2027)
- Guadeloupe27 May (Thursday in 2027)
- Saint-Martin28 May (Friday in 2027)
- French Guiana10 June (Thursday in 2027)
- Saint-Barthélemy9 October (Saturday in 2027)
- Réunion20 December (Monday in 2027)
See also daylight saving time, equinoxes and solstices and moon phases.