France: public holidays in 2026
In 2026, France has 11 public holidays. 9 fall on a weekday and 2 on a weekend (Assumption Day and All Saints’ Day). That makes 9 days off from Monday to Friday.
| Holiday | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| New Year’s Day | January 1 | Thursday |
| Easter Monday | April 6 | Monday |
| Labor Day | May 1 | Friday |
| Victory in Europe Day | May 8 | Friday |
| Ascension Day | May 14 | Thursday |
| Whit Monday | May 25 | Monday |
| Bastille Day (National Day) | July 14 | Tuesday |
| Assumption Day | August 15 | Saturday |
| All Saints’ Day | November 1 | Sunday |
| Armistice Day | November 11 | Wednesday |
| Christmas Day | December 25 | Friday |
Long weekends and bridge days in 2026
2026 has 5 long weekends of three days or more without taking any leave:
- Saturday, April 4 to Monday, April 6: 3 days · Easter Monday
- Friday, May 1 to Sunday, May 3: 3 days · Labor Day
- Friday, May 8 to Sunday, May 10: 3 days · Victory in Europe Day
- Saturday, May 23 to Monday, May 25: 3 days · Whit Monday
- Friday, December 25 to Sunday, December 27: 3 days · Christmas Day
Bridge days, where a little leave buys a lot of time off:
- Take Friday, January 2 off: 4 days in a row, from Thursday, January 1 to Sunday, January 4 · New Year’s Day
- Take Friday, May 15 off: 4 days in a row, from Thursday, May 14 to Sunday, May 17 · Ascension Day
- Take Monday, July 13 off: 4 days in a row, from Saturday, July 11 to Tuesday, July 14 · Bastille Day (National Day)
- Take Monday, November 9 and Tuesday, November 10 off: 5 days in a row, from Saturday, November 7 to Wednesday, November 11 · Armistice Day
- Take Thursday, November 12 and Friday, November 13 off: 5 days in a row, from Wednesday, November 11 to Sunday, November 15 · Armistice Day
Holidays on a weekend
Assumption Day (Saturday, August 15) and All Saints’ Day (Sunday, November 1) fall on a weekend in 2026. In France a holiday that falls on a Saturday or a Sunday is not moved: the day off is simply lost, unless your collective agreement says otherwise.
Regional holidays in 2026
These days are holidays only in part of France:
| Holiday | Date | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Good Friday | April 3 | Alsace-Moselle |
| Abolition of Slavery Day | April 27 | Mayotte |
| Abolition of Slavery Day | May 22 | Martinique |
| Abolition of Slavery Day | May 27 | Guadeloupe, Saint-Martin |
| Abolition of Slavery Day | June 10 | Guyane |
| Abolition of Slavery Day | October 9 | Saint-Barthélemy |
| Abolition of Slavery Day | December 20 | La Réunion |
| St. Stephen’s Day | December 26 | Alsace-Moselle |
Good to know
France has 11 public holidays, listed in article L3133-1 of the Labor Code. Only May 1 has to be a paid day off for every employee; the other ten are days off in most companies through collective agreements, and Whit Monday is often worked as the “solidarity day”. Alsace and Moselle keep two extra holidays, Good Friday and December 26, and each overseas department marks the abolition of slavery on its own date.
2026 and 2027 compared
In 2027, France has 11 public holidays, 7 of them on weekdays (France 2027). With its holidays removed, 2026 counts 252 working days from Monday to Friday, against 254 in 2027: month by month in working days in France 2026.
To count the working days between two dates, use the business days calculator; for the movable feasts of the year, see Easter 2026; and for the whole year on one page, the 2026 calendar.