In this publication, All-Holidays.Info will talk about holidays in France 2025. We will provide lists of public and unofficial holidays. We will also tell you how they differ. In some cases, we have briefly explained what the French holidays in 2025 are dedicated to.
France is conventionally divided into mainland and overseas. Overseas territories and departments observe the same public holidays as those on the mainland. But they have their own special significant dates. We designated such days as local public holidays. The list of public holidays is regulated by Article L3133-1 of the Labor Code.
In this article we have also listed unofficial holidays in France 2025. These days may be regulated by law, but are not officially considered public holidays. As a rule, these are religious holidays or dates dedicated to significant events or people.
IMPORTANT! According to French law, employees are entitled to paid time off only on Labor Day (May 1). The work schedule for other public and unofficial holidays is regulated by a collective or individual labor agreement.
Public holidays in France 2025 (national and local)
The following are the public holidays in France in 2025. For each date we have provided an explanation of what type of holiday it is. National public holidays are celebrated throughout the country and its controlled territories. For local French public holidays in 2025, we’ve listed exactly where they are observed.
January 2025
January 1, 2025 (Wednesday) – New Year – National Public Holiday.
March 2025
March 5, 2025 (Wednesday) – Gospel Arrival Day – Local public holiday (French Polynesia).
March 27, 2025 (Thursday) – Mid-Lent – Local public holiday (Guadeloupe).
29 March 2025 (Saturday) – Good Friday – Local public holiday (Bas-Rhin, Haut-Rhin, Moselle).
April 2025
18 April 2025 (Friday) – Good Friday – Local public holiday (Guadeloupe, Alsace and Moselle).
21 April 2025 (Monday) – Easter Monday – National Public Holiday.
28 April 2025 (Monday) – Saint Pierre Chanel’s Day – Local public holiday (Wallis and Futuna).
Who was Pierre Chanel?
Saint Pierre Chanel (1803–1841) was a Catholic priest and missionary who was martyred on the island of Futuna. As a member of the Society of the Virgin Mary, he was sent to evangelize the peoples of Oceania. Pierre Chanel arrived on the island of Futuna in 1837, where she worked to convert the locals to Christianity. On April 28, 1841, he was beaten to death by a young man sent by the local leader. P. Chanel was declared a martyr and canonized by Pope Pius XII in 1954.
May 2025
May 1, 2025 (Thursday) – Labor Day – National Public Holiday.
May 8, 2025 (Thursday) – Victory Day 1945 – National public holiday.
May 22, 2025 (Thursday) – Abolition Day – Local public holiday (Martinique).
May 27, 2025 (Tuesday) – Abolition Day – Local public holiday (Guadeloupe).
May 28, 2025 (Wednesday) – Abolition Day – Local public holiday (Saint Martin).
May 29, 2025 (Thursday) – Ascension of Jesus Christ – National Public Holiday.
June 2025
June 9, 2025 (Monday) – Pentecost Monday – National Public Holiday.
June 10, 2025 (Tuesday) – Abolition Day – Local public holiday (Guyana).
June 29, 2025 (Sunday) – Autonomy Day – Local public holiday (French Polynesia).
July 2025
July 14, 2025 (Monday) – Bastille Day (official name: “National Holiday”) – National public holiday.
29 July 2025 (Tuesday) – Territory Day – Local Public Holiday (Wallis and Futuna).
What is celebrated on Bastille Day?
Bastille Day, officially called La Fête Nationale (National Day), commemorates the storming of the Bastille fortress and prison on July 14, 1789. This historical event marked the beginning of the French Revolution of 1789. That day, a violent crowd formed outside the Bastille and eventually captured the imposing structure, which people saw as a symbol of the monarchy’s abuse of power.
August 2025
August 15, 2025 (Friday) – Assumption of the Virgin Mary – National public holiday.
September 2025
24 September 2025 (Wednesday) – Citizenship Day – Local public holiday (New Caledonia).
October 2025
October 9, 2025 (Thursday) – Abolition Day – Local public holiday (Saint Barthélemy).
November 2025
November 1, 2025 (Saturday) – All Saints Day – National public holiday.
November 11, 2025 (Tuesday) – Armistice Day 1918 – National public holiday.
December 2025
December 20, 2025 (Saturday) – Reunion Island Freedom Day (Abolition Day) – Local public holiday (Reunion).
December 25, 2025 (Thursday) – Christmas Day – National Public Holiday.
December 26, 2025 (Friday) – Saint-Etienne (St. Stephen’s Day) – Local public holiday (Alsace and Moselle).
Who is Saint Stephen?
Saint Stephen was one of the first deacons and martyrs of the early Christian church. He was a man who performed many miracles and preached in Jerusalem. But his teaching outraged members of some Jewish synagogues, who falsely accused him of blasphemy against Moses and God. Around 34 AD, Stephen was dragged outside the city by an angry mob and stoned to death. In his last words before his death, Saint Stephen asked God to forgive his persecutors.
Unofficial French holidays 2025
In this section of the article we have listed the unofficial French holidays for 2025. For convenience, we have arranged them in chronological order. Let us remind you that these dates
January 2025
January 6, 2025 (Monday) – Three Kings / Baptism of Christ.
January 22, 2025 (Wednesday) – Franco-German day.
The Franco-German day commemorates the signing of the Elysee Treaty in 1963. It was signed by French President Charles de Gaulle and German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer. The Elysee Treaty laid the foundation for reconciliation and cooperation between France and Germany after decades of bloody conflict. On Franco-German Day, both countries host a series of official events and ceremonies to highlight their partnership.
February 2025
February 2, 2025 (Sunday) – Meeting of Jesus Christ in the temple.
February 14, 2025 (Friday) – Valentine’s Day / Valentine’s Day.
March 2025
March 2, 2025 (Sunday) – Grandmothers’ Day.
March 4, 2025 (Tuesday) – Mardi Gras.
March 5, 2025 (Wednesday) – Ash Wednesday.
March 8, 2025 (Saturday) – International Women’s Day.
March 11, 2025 (Tuesday) – Beginning of Ramadan.
March 11, 2025 (Tuesday) is National Day of Remembrance for Victims of Terrorism.
March 19, 2025 (Wednesday) – St. Joseph’s Day, National Day of Remembrance for the civilian and military victims of the Algerian War and the fighting in Tunisia and Morocco.
March 25, 2025 (Tuesday) – Annunciation.
Mardi Gras (which means “Fat Tuesday” in French) is celebrated in France, but not as widely as in some other Catholic countries. It marks the last day of fun before the start of Lent. Celebrations are heaviest in northern regions such as Normandy and Picardy, as well as in cities such as Paris, Nice and Dunkirk.
April 2025
April 10, 2025 (Thursday) – Eid al-Fitr.
April 13, 2025 (Sunday) – Palm Sunday.
April 17, 2025 (Thursday) – Maundy Thursday.
April 20, 2025 (Sunday) – Easter Sunday.
April 24, 2025 (Thursday) – National Day of Remembrance of the 1915 Armenian Genocide.
April 27, 2025 (Sunday) – Day of Remembrance of Deportees.
The Armenian genocide was the systematic mass murder and ethnic cleansing of approximately 1,500,000 ethnic Armenians. In 1915, the Ottoman Empire began a campaign of deportation and murder of the Armenian population. First, Armenian intellectuals and public figures were arrested and executed. Then, through forced marches, mass arson, starvation and outright murder, the Ottoman authorities devastated the Armenian population in an attempt to rid the empire of the Armenian minority. Hundreds of thousands were killed or died of cold and starvation during the deportations. This state-sponsored violence continued until 1923.
May 2025
May 4, 2025 (Sunday) – Mother’s Day.
May 9, 2025 (Friday) – Europe Day.
May 10, 2025 (Saturday) is National Day of Remembrance for Human Trafficking, Slavery and Abolition.
May 11, 2025 (Sunday) – National Day of Joan of Arc and Patriotism.
May 26, 2025 (Monday) – Mother’s Day.
May 30, 2025 (Friday) – Neighbors Day.
June 2025
June 8, 2025 (Sunday) – Pentecost, National Day of Remembrance for those who died for France in Indochina.
June 15, 2025 (Sunday) – Holy Trinity.
June 16, 2025 (Monday) – Father’s Day.
June 19, 2025 (Thursday) – Corpus Christi.
June 24, 2025 (Tuesday) – Day of St. John the Baptist.
June 26, 2025 (Thursday) – Father’s Day.
June 27, 2025 (Friday) – Feast of the Sacred Heart.
June 29, 2025 (Sunday) – Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul.
August 2025
August 6, 2025 (Wednesday) – Transfiguration of Jesus Christ.
August 25, 2025 (Monday) – Saint Louis Day.
Saint Louis (born Louis IX) was King of France from 1226 until his death. He is the only French monarch to be canonized by the Catholic Church. Louis IX was known for his justice and piety and led two crusades to the Holy Land, although both ended in failure.
On French soil, Louis IX reformed the judicial system and built significant Gothic churches (for example: Sainte-Chapelle in Paris). He was also a passionate advocate for the arts and education. In 1297 he was canonized by Pope Boniface VIII. Until 1909, Saint Louis was revered as the patron and heavenly patron of France, until he was replaced by Saint Joan of Arc.
September 2025
September 8, 2025 (Monday) – Nativity of the Virgin Mary.
September 14, 2025 (Sunday) – Feast of the Cross.
September 25, 2025 (Thursday) – National day of tribute to Harki and other members of the auxiliary forces.
October 2025
October 9, 2025 (Thursday) – Saint-Denis.
October 31, 2025 (Friday) – Reformation Day, Halloween.
Saint Denis was one of the most revered and important patron saints of France. It is believed that he was the first bishop of Paris in the 3rd century AD. Denis was beheaded for his Christian faith around 258 on the highest hill in Paris (now known as Montmartre). Legend has it that after the execution, Denis picked up the severed head and walked several miles while preaching. He was buried in the city of Saint-Denis, north of Paris. In the 5th century, the Basilica of Saint-Denis was built on the site of his burial.
November 2025
November 2, 2025 (Sunday) – All Souls’ Day.
November 9, 2025 (Sunday) – Consecration of the Lateran Basilica.
November 11, 2025 (Tuesday) – Saint Martin, Singles’ Day.
November 20, 2025 (Thursday) – International Children’s Rights Day.
December 2025
December 5, 2025 (Friday) – National Day of Remembrance for those who “fell for France” during the Algerian War and the battles in Morocco and Tunisia..
December 6, 2025 (Saturday) – St. Nicholas Day.
December 24, 2025 (Wednesday) – Christmas Eve.
December 31, 2025 (Wednesday) – New Year’s Eve.
In this publication, we looked at holidays in France 2025. We provided lists of state national and local holidays. Unofficial French holidays in 2025 were also listed. On the All-Holidays.Info website you will find more information about school holidays and holidays in different countries. Don’t forget to share this post with your friends!
