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 2017
| Date | Holiday | About |
|---|---|---|
| Sun, Jan 1 | New Year's DayJour de l'An | First day of the year. |
| Mon, Apr 17 | Easter MondayLundi de Pâques | The Monday after Easter Sunday. |
| Mon, May 1 | Labour DayFête du Travail | Workers' Day; lily of the valley (muguet) is given for good luck. |
| Mon, May 8 | Victory in Europe DayVictoire 1945 | Marks the end of World War II in Europe in 1945. |
| Thu, May 25 | Ascension DayAscension | Always a Thursday, so the Friday after is a classic "pont" day. |
| Mon, Jun 5 | Whit MondayLundi de Pentecôte | The Monday after Pentecost; also the "journée de solidarité". |
| Fri, Jul 14 | Bastille DayFête nationale | National day marking the storming of the Bastille in 1789, with a military parade in Paris. |
| Tue, Aug 15 | Assumption DayAssomption | Catholic feast in mid-August, the peak of the summer holiday season. |
| Wed, Nov 1 | All Saints' DayToussaint | Families visit cemeteries and lay chrysanthemums. |
| Sat, Nov 11 | Armistice DayArmistice 1918 | Marks the end of World War I in 1918. |
| Mon, 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 2017
- Easter Monday Apr 15 – Apr 17 · 3 days
- Labour Day Apr 29 – May 1 · 3 days
- Victory in Europe Day May 6 – May 8 · 3 days
- Ascension Day bridge day: take Fri, May 26 offMay 25 – May 28 · 4 days
- Whit Monday Jun 3 – Jun 5 · 3 days
- Bastille Day Jul 14 – Jul 16 · 3 days
- Assumption Day bridge day: take Mon, Aug 14 offAug 12 – Aug 15 · 4 days
- Christmas Day Dec 23 – Dec 25 · 3 days
With 2 vacation days on the bridge days above you get 8 days off in total.2 holidays fall on a weekend without a substitute day this year.
Plan 2017 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 2017 calendar.
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