France public holidays 2023

Ellie Whyte

Feb 15 • 6 minute read

There’re 11 national holidays in France in 2023. And if you’re from Alscae or Moselle regions, you’ll get 13 national holidays. In addition, you’ll enjoy a minimum of 20 paid days off if you’re working in France. As a university student in France, you’ll enjoy a winter break, spring break, and a 2-month summer break.

Find out below when the holidays are, when you’ll get long weekends, and how to celebrate these holidays like the French.

What are the holiday months in France?

Holidays in France are spread throughout the year. But you’ll have the most holidays in May. Besides these national holidays, many French people take their grandes vacances (grand vacations) in July or August, where they take a week or two off for summer break.

Here’s the 2023 calendar of France’s public holidays:

Date in 2023	Public Holiday
Sunday January 1st	New Year’s Day (Jour de l’an)
Friday, April 7th^	Good Friday (Vendredi saint)
Monday, April 10th	Easter Monday (Lundi de Pâques)
Monday, May 1st	Labour Day (Fête du premier Mai)
Monday, May 8th	World War II Victory Day (Fête du huitième mai)
Thursday, May 18th	Ascension Day (Jour de l’Ascension)
Monday, May 29th	Whit Monday (Lundi de Pentecôte)
Tuesday, August 15th	Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Assomption)
Wednesday November 1st	All Saints’ Day (La Toussaint)
Saturday, November 11th	Armistice Day (Jour d’armistice)
Monday, December 25th	Christmas Day (Noél)
Tuesday, December 26th^	Boxing Day/Saint Stephen’s Day (Deuxième jour de Noël)

^ These holidays are recognized in the Alsace and Moselle regions only

Pack your bags: France has 8 long weekends in 2023

France 3-day weekends in 2023

Thanks to 5 of the French national holidays, you’ll enjoy multiple 3-day weekends in 2023.

Dates you’ll be off	Holiday
April 7th - 10th 2023	Easter Monday (April 10th)
April 29th - May 1st 2023	Labour Day (May 1st)
May 6th - 8th 2023	Victory Day (May 8th)
May 27th - 29th 2023	Whit Monday (May 29th)
July 14th - 16th 2023	Fête Nationale (July 14th)

Extend the public holidays with faire le pont

Faire le pont refers to the French tradition of taking an additional day off to get the most time out of the public holidays. French people choose these holidays strategically to get a 4 or 5-day weekend. Here’re the days you should take off in 2023.

Date(s) to take off:	Time you’ll have off:
Friday, May 19th 2023	4 days - May 18-22nd 2023 (Ascension Day)
Monday, August 14th 2023	4 days - August 12-15th 2023 (Assumption Day)
Monday & Tuesday 30-31st 2023	5 days - October 28th-November 1st 2023 (All Saints Day)

What to avoid during French bank holidays?

For the most part, bank holidays will mean schools, local banks, post offices, and other businesses will be closed. Depending on the holiday and which city you live in, you can expect cafés, bakeries, restaurants, grocery stores, and certain essential shops to be closed or have reduced hours. Some holidays will also affect public transport schedules, so keep an eye on them.

Another tip: don’t forget to plan your appointments at the hairdresser or local city hall around July or August. French people take their grandes vacances in July or August and getting an appointment now would be difficult, unless you plan well in advance.

How do the French celebrate holidays?

In a country of exceptional wine and food, most holidays are celebrated by sharing a meal with friends and family. But some holidays have their unique traditions and celebrations as well.

January 1st – New Year’s Day (Jour de l’an)

Although New Year’s day is a holiday, most of the fun takes place on New Year’s Eve.

The evening begins with coming together to enjoy a traditional feast called la Réveillon de Saint-Sylverstre. Hosts serve champagne and traditional French dishes, such as foie gras.

You can find people watching the President's annual speech (les vœux présidentiels) at 8 PM. And as is common worldwide, there’re organised fireworks, street parties, and celebrations on New Year’s Eve in France. At midnight, people toast with champagne, and some might kiss under a mistletoe.

On 1st January, it’s common to receive money or other presents from grandparents or to gift something to caretakers as a thank you.

April 7th – Good Friday (Vendredi saint)

On Good Friday, churches host a special service in memory of Christ. This public holiday is only in Moselle and Alsace, meaning post offices, banks, and government offices in these regions will be closed. Outside of these regions, it’ll be business as usual.

April 10th – Easter Monday (Lundi de Pâques)

Easter in France is celebrated with plenty of food, wine, and time with family and friends. Some attend mass, followed by eating a large lamb meal, typically served with potatoes, flageolet beans, and asparagus. French communities often hold an Easter egg hunt (Chasse aux Oeufs) for local children.

Some villages may have parades at Easter, which can cause traffic and delays in public transport.

May 1st – Labour Day (Fête du premier Mai )

This day celebrates workers' rights in France. You may see parades, marches, and demonstrations campaigning for workers' rights or current social issues.

Labour Day is also a day to celebrate Spring for many French people. On this day, people give bouquets of lily-of-the-valley (muguet) flowers to each other as the flower symbolises spring.

While some cafés and restaurants will be open on this day, they’ll usually have reduced hours. You can also expect delays to public transport due to parades and marches.

May 8th – World War II Victory Day (Fête du huitième mai)

Each May, the French commemorate the end of WW2 by holding ceremonies, parades, and church services. The French Air Force holds flyover demonstrations and people lay wreaths on WW2 monuments.

Some shops, cafés, and restaurants will remain open with reduced hours. You can also expect delays using public transport due to parades or marches.

May 18th – Ascension Day (Jour de l’Ascension)

Ascension Day always falls on a Thursday and celebrates Jesus’ ascension to heaven. French people celebrate by sharing a meal of meat (such as lamb or chicken) with seasonal spring vegetables. Some villages host cultural or sporting events over the weekend, so keep an eye on your local events.

Cafés and restaurants usually stay open on this day but close earlier than usual. This holiday is one of the first opportunities for faire le pont this year, so you can expect hotels and trips to book up quickly (and be pricey) at this time.

May 29th – Whit Monday (Lundi de Pentecôte)

French people celebrate this day by spending time with family and friends. Some villages will have community, cultural and sporting events during this time. Because it’s a 3-day weekend, you can expect more traffic on Whit Monday as people return home from their weekend. While schools, banks, and post offices will all be closed, shops, cafés, and restaurants will stay open.

July 14th – Bastille Day (Fête Nationale)

Bastille Day remembers the storming of Bastille in July 1789. Military parades and fireworks displays are held all over France on this day. In Paris, the French Air Force flies over the Champs-Élysées before the firework display in the evening. So if you’re living in Paris, head to the centre at least an hour before 11 AM to get a good spot.

Because of the parades on Bastille Day, you should expect road closures and major delays to public transport.

August 15th – Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Assomption)

Celebrating Mary’s ascension to heaven, this religious holiday is major for Christians worldwide. Flights to or within France will be expensive as people come to France on a pilgrimage to Lourdes.

Some villages have parades on this day. Cafés and restaurants will usually stay open as usual.

November 1st – All Saints’ Day (La Toussaint)

Across the world, people celebrate All Saints’ Day by honouring their deceased loved ones. Traditionally, French people attend church services before sharing a midnight supper of bacon, black grain, pancakes, and cider to honour the dead. They also lay chrysanthemums on the graves of their loved ones on this day, leading to the flower becoming la fleurs des morts — flowers of the dead.

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Gifting a bouquet of chrysanthemums to a French person is considered insulting as these flowers represent la fleurs des morts (flowers of the dead).

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November 11th – Armistice Day (Jour d’armistice)

Special services and military parades are held across France to remember those who died in WW1. The French president lays a wreath at L’Arc de Triomphe on this day. It’s common to see French people wearing a bleuet on this day, a pin worn in memory of those lost. This pin raises funds for veteran charities.

Some bakeries, cafés, and restaurants will stay open on this day. You can expect road closures and significant public transport delays due to military parades.

December 25th – Christmas Day (Noél)

Christmas in France takes place over 2 days, typically with 2 meals shared with the family. On Christmas Eve, the French used to have La Réveillon, a big traditional feast. Nowadays, French people share a smaller meal of multiple small dishes, such as foie gras, smoked salmon on toast, oysters, and more. On Christmas Day, they enjoy a large feast of goose, turkey, cheese, bran bread, and vegetables. The meal ends with La bûche de Noël (yule log).

Depending on the family tradition, some exchange gifts on Christmas Eve, some on Christmas Day, and some on New Year's Day.

On Christmas, you can expect fewer public transport services. You should also expect all businesses to be closed.