Public Holidays in France 2019
Tuesday 08 January 2019
The 11 public holidays in France for 2019 to put in your diary, as well as school dates.
POSTSCRIPT: You can find the 2020 public holidays in our updated article French Public Holidays 2020.
Those for 2021 can be found at French Public Holidays 2021
- Tuesday 1st January - New Year's Day (Jour de l'An)
- Monday 22nd April - Easter Monday (Lundi de Pâques)
- Wednesday 1st May - Labour Day (Fête du Travail)
- Wednesday 8th May - VE Day - (Fête de la Victoire 1945)
- Thursday 30th May - Ascension Day (l'Ascension)
- Monday 10th June - Whit Monday (Lundi de Pentecôte)
- Sunday 14th July - Bastille Day (Fête Nationale)
- Thursday 15th August - Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (l'Assomption)
- Friday 1st November - All Saints' Day (La Toussaint)
- Monday 11th November - Armistice Day (Armistice 1918)
- Wednesday 25th December - Christmas Day (Noël)
Where a public holiday falls over a weekend, by local agreement employees may be given an extra day paid holiday in lieu, but this is not obligatory.
Only May Day is classed as a statutory (paid) public holiday in France.
When a public holiday falls on a Tuesday or a Thursday many people make a 'bridge' holiday (faire le pont), creating a long weekend.
Alsace and Lorraine have two extra public holidays - 30th March and 26th Dec.
In terms of school holidays, you can find the dates at French School Calendar 2018/19.
In terms of public holidays in 2018, here are the dates
- Monday 1st January - New Year's Day (Jour de l'An)
- Monday 2nd April - Easter Monday (Lundi de Pâques)
- Tuesday 1st May - Labour Day (Fête du Travail)
- Tuesday 8th May - VE Day - (Fête de la Victoire 1945)
- Thursday 10th May - Ascension Day (l'Ascension)
- Monday 21th May - Whit Monday (Lundi de Pentecôte)
- Saturday 14th July - Bastille Day (Fête Nationale)
- Wednesday 15th August - Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (l'Assomption)
- Thursday 1st November - All Saints' Day (La Toussaint)
- Sunday 11th November - Armistice Day (Armistice 1918)
- Tuesday 25th December - Christmas Day (Noël)
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