Public Holidays in France: 2026–2028

France observes 11 fêtes légales, the famous ‘jours fériés’, from May’s string of holidays to Bastille Day on July 14. When a holiday falls mid-week, the French often ‘faire le pont’ — bridge the gap into a long weekend.

This page lists every public and bank holiday in France for 2026, 2027 and 2028 in one place. Use the month and year picker to jump to any month, or browse the whole year at a glance. Each entry shows the exact date, the weekday, the type of holiday and what it means for banks, offices, schools and shops.

Banks, public offices and schools close; most shops shut except in tourist zones. Public transport runs a Sunday service on jours fériés. The calendar is updated with substitute and observed days where they apply, and lunar dates are clearly marked as expected until officially confirmed.

Browse the calendar

Dates marked expected follow the lunar calendar and are confirmed by official moon-sighting announcements — they may shift by a day.

Whole year

What closes on public holidays?

Guide to public holidays in France

The jours fériés

France has eleven public holidays, known as jours fériés, including Labour Day, Victory in Europe Day, Bastille Day, Assumption, All Saints' Day and Armistice Day. Alsace and Moselle have two extra days: Good Friday and 26 December.

Is the day off guaranteed?

Only 1 May is a mandatory paid day off for nearly all workers. For the other holidays, time off depends on collective agreements and employer policy, although most offices close.

Bridges and solidarity day

When a holiday falls on a Tuesday or Thursday, many people take the Monday or Friday off to make a long weekend, called faire le pont. Whit Monday is often used as a solidarity day, which some employees work.