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 2019
| Date | Holiday | About |
|---|---|---|
| Tue, Jan 1 | New Year's DayJour de l'An | First day of the year. |
| Mon, Apr 22 | Easter MondayLundi de Pâques | The Monday after Easter Sunday. |
| Wed, May 1 | Labour DayFête du Travail | Workers' Day; lily of the valley (muguet) is given for good luck. |
| Wed, May 8 | Victory in Europe DayVictoire 1945 | Marks the end of World War II in Europe in 1945. |
| Thu, May 30 | Ascension DayAscension | Always a Thursday, so the Friday after is a classic "pont" day. |
| Mon, Jun 10 | Whit MondayLundi de Pentecôte | The Monday after Pentecost; also the "journée de solidarité". |
| Sun, Jul 14 | Bastille DayFête nationale | National day marking the storming of the Bastille in 1789, with a military parade in Paris. |
| Thu, Aug 15 | Assumption DayAssomption | Catholic feast in mid-August, the peak of the summer holiday season. |
| Fri, Nov 1 | All Saints' DayToussaint | Families visit cemeteries and lay chrysanthemums. |
| Mon, Nov 11 | Armistice DayArmistice 1918 | Marks the end of World War I in 1918. |
| Wed, 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 2019
- New Year's Day bridge day: take Mon, Dec 31 offDec 29 – Jan 1 · 4 days
- Easter Monday Apr 20 – Apr 22 · 3 days
- Ascension Day bridge day: take Fri, May 31 offMay 30 – Jun 2 · 4 days
- Whit Monday Jun 8 – Jun 10 · 3 days
- Assumption Day bridge day: take Fri, Aug 16 offAug 15 – Aug 18 · 4 days
- All Saints' Day Nov 1 – Nov 3 · 3 days
- Armistice Day Nov 9 – Nov 11 · 3 days
With 3 vacation days on the bridge days above you get 12 days off in total.1 holiday falls on a weekend without a substitute day this year.
Plan 2019 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 2019 calendar.
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