How Public Holidays Work in France
France has 11 public holidays (jours fériés). Holidays that fall on a weekend are not moved, but a Tuesday or Thursday holiday often leads to a "pont" (bridge) day off.
Alsace and Moselle add Good Friday and St Stephen's Day (26 December). Overseas departments add abolition-of-slavery days. Whit Monday is a "solidarity day" that some employers treat as a working day.
Sources: Jours fériés, Service-Public.fr, Public holidays in France (Wikipedia)
All France Holidays in 2008
| Date | Holiday | About |
|---|---|---|
| Tue, Jan 1 | New Year's DayJour de l'An | First day of the year. |
| Mon, Mar 24 | Easter MondayLundi de Pâques | The Monday after Easter Sunday. |
| Thu, May 1 | Labour DayFête du Travail | Workers' Day; lily of the valley (muguet) is given for good luck. |
| Thu, May 1 | Ascension DayAscension | Always a Thursday, so the Friday after is a classic "pont" day. |
| Thu, May 8 | Victory in Europe DayVictoire 1945 | Marks the end of World War II in Europe in 1945. |
| Mon, May 12 | Whit MondayLundi de Pentecôte | The Monday after Pentecost; also the "journée de solidarité". |
| Mon, Jul 14 | Bastille DayFête nationale | National day marking the storming of the Bastille in 1789, with a military parade in Paris. |
| Fri, Aug 15 | Assumption DayAssomption | Catholic feast in mid-August, the peak of the summer holiday season. |
| Sat, Nov 1 | All Saints' DayToussaint | Families visit cemeteries and lay chrysanthemums. |
| Tue, Nov 11 | Armistice DayArmistice 1918 | Marks the end of World War I in 1918. |
| Thu, Dec 25 | Christmas DayNoël | Celebrates the birth of Jesus; the main meal is the Réveillon on Christmas Eve. |
Click a date to see it on the monthly calendar.
Long Weekends in 2008
- New Year's Day bridge day: take Mon, Dec 31 offDec 29 – Jan 1 · 4 days
- Easter Monday Mar 22 – Mar 24 · 3 days
- Ascension Day bridge day: take Fri, May 2 offMay 1 – May 4 · 4 days
- Victory in Europe Day bridge day: take Fri, May 9 offMay 8 – May 11 · 4 days
- Whit Monday May 10 – May 12 · 3 days
- Bastille Day Jul 12 – Jul 14 · 3 days
- Assumption Day Aug 15 – Aug 17 · 3 days
- Armistice Day bridge day: take Mon, Nov 10 offNov 8 – Nov 11 · 4 days
- Christmas Day bridge day: take Fri, Dec 26 offDec 25 – Dec 28 · 4 days
With 5 vacation days on the bridge days above you get 20 days off in total.1 holiday falls on a weekend without a substitute day this year.
Plan 2008 Around These Holidays
Add your vacation and bridge days to a calendar, then export it as a printable PDF. For the full year at a glance see the 2008 calendar.
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