French National Holidays

French national holidays

Experience Paris during the excitement of Bastille Day or the magic of Christmas! Most of the French national celebrations correspond to a public holiday, not counting events like the “Fête de la Musique”. It’s sometimes an opportunity for Parisians and their fellow countrymen to “faire le pont”, or take a long weekend, by adding another day. Make sure you find out before your visit.

• New Year: 1 January
  Spend New Year’s Eve with friends, at home, in the cafés or restaurants that organize special celebrations. Before midnight arrives, everyone gets together on the Champs-Elysées or at the Eiffel Tower with bottles of champagne, to await the twelve strokes of midnight and the inevitable New Year kisses, to exchange wishes for health and happiness.
  
• “Fête des Rois” (Epiphany): 1st Sunday after New Year
  On this Sunday, bakeries sell tasty “galettes”: round, flat pastries filled with buttery almond paste. A small figurine (“fève”) is baked inside the pastry and if you find it in your portion, you’ll be crowned king or queen.
  
• Valentine’s Day: 14 February
  The day for lovers. Red hearts and roses fill the shop windows. In Paris, the electronic information boards display the sweetest words of love sent in by net surfers.
  
• Mardi Gras (Shrove Tuesday): 24 February
  This is a day for masked balls and fancy dress. It marks the start of Lent (or fasting) in the Christian calendar so it is often the moment to treat yourselves!
  
• Easter: between 22 March and 25 April
  High point of the Christian calendar. Traditionally at this time, the window displays of cake shops and chocolate makers fill with eggs and other chocolate shapes for children to search for in the garden… or in their homes.
  
• “Fête du Travail” (Labour Day): 1 May
  Also the day chosen for major union events. On this day too, sprigs of lily of the valley, found on sale in the streets and in florists, are given or received as gifts for good luck
  
• “Fête de la Musique”: 21 June
  Free concerts throughout the city. Music of all kinds, from classical to techno, rock to world music, can be heard at every street corner. Parisians who sing or play music go down into the streets…
  
• Bastille Day: 14 July
  The French National holiday celebrates 14 July 1789 and the French Revolution. A huge military parade on the Champs-Elysées, in the presence of the French President, draws crowds of spectators. In Paris and all over France, this major popular celebration is witness to spectacular firework displays and fun-filled dances on the evening of 13 July, especially those held in local fire stations.
  
• Days of Heritage: 3rd weekend in September
  A unique opportunity to discover, free of charge, marvels that are inaccessible during the rest of the year, in Paris and throughout France. Major private or official buildings open their doors to the public. An event to be made the most of, because it only takes place 2 days a year, the 3rd weekend in September, to round off the summer beautifully. The Days of Heritage were first created in 1984 by the Ministry for Arts. The huge wealth of French heritage justifies the success of this event which draws each year millions of intrigued visitors and lovers of art and history. Volunteer guides are happy to talk to you about masterpieces of civil or religious architecture, parks and gardens, archaeological sites and even industrial heritage.
  
• Beaujolais Nouveau: 3rd Thursday in November
  The arrival of the first AOC (“appellation d’origine contrôlée”) wines of the year. The whole of France celebrates the Beaujolais Nouveau which, though it may not be a great wine, provides an occasion to celebrate with friends in cafés and bistros.
  
• Christmas: 25 December
  Celebrating the birth of Christ. This is when you’ll find Christmas markets, ice rinks, decorated windows displays at the department stores, illuminations along the main avenues, such as the Champs-Elysées or the Boulevard Haussmann, nativity scenes and midnight mass. It is above all a family celebration around the tree and over a good meal: here oysters, turkey, foie gras and Christmas log are on the menu… while presents are exchanged.