Upcoming Holidays and Festivals in France
- Before planning a trip around a festival, verify the festival dates on the festival's website or with a local tourist information office. For more information about these and other events, visit the official tourism sites for France and Paris.
- This list includes major festivals in major cities, plus national holidays observed throughout France. Many sights and banks close down on national holidays — keep it in mind when planning your itinerary. Note that this isn't a complete list; holidays can strike without warning.
- See upcoming holidays and festivals across Europe
2018
Through October: International Garden Festival, Chaumont-sur-Loire
Through September 3: Paris Plage (ersatz beach along the Seine)
July 27–August 15: Jazz in Marciac, southwest France
August 15: Assumption (closures)
August 23–28: Fête de la Saint-Louis, Sète (near Montpellier; parades, fireworks, canal-boat "water-jousting")
August 31–September 13: Jazz at La Villette, Paris
September: Wine harvest festivals across France
September 1–2: Braderie de Lille (world's largest flea market)
September 10–December 31: Festival d'Automne à Paris (fall arts festival)
September 15–16: Heritage days (Journée du patrimoine; special openings and tours of monuments and other historical sites across France)
September 21–October 6: Festival Musica, Strasbourg (contemporary classical music)
September 22: Technoparade, Paris (starts at Port Royal, ends at Place de la République)
September 26–29: Monaco Yacht Show (pricey exhibition of mega-yachts)
October 4–14: Oktoberfest Paris
October 6: Paris Nuit Blanche (illuminated public art, concerts, all-night public transit)
October 10–14: Fête des Vendanges, Montmartre neighborhood of Paris (grape harvest festival)
October 28: Fête de La Pomme, Trévières (apple harvest festival near Honfleur)
November 1–11: Dijon International and Gastronomic Fair
November 1: All Saints' Day (La Toussaint; closures)
November 11: Armistice Day (closures)
November 17–19: Les Trois Glorieuses, Beaune (wine auction and festival)
Late November–December 24: Christmas markets (particularly fun in Strasbourg, Colmar, and Sarlat-la-Canéda)
December: Christmas carousels, outdoor skating rinks, and avant-garde Christmas trees around town, Paris
December 5–9: Les Rencontres Trans Musicales, Rennes (up-and-coming pop, rock, etc.)
December 6–9: Fête des Lumières, Lyon (celebration of Virgin Mary, colorfully lit facades, candlelit windows)
December 15–22: Rise Festival, Les Deux Alpes (dance music at ski resort)
December 25: Christmas Day (Noël; closures)
December 26: Second Christmas Day (closures in Alsace-Lorraine)
December 31: New Year's Eve
2019
January 1: New Year's Day (closures)
February 16–March 2: Nice Carnival (Mardi Gras, parades and fireworks)
Mid-February–early March (2 weeks): Lemon Festival, Menton
February 24: Le Corso Fleuri, Bormes-les-Mimosas (traditional flower parade in coastal Provence)
April–October: International Garden Festival, Chaumont-sur-Loire
April 19: Good Friday (Vendredi Saint, closures)
April 21–22: Easter Sunday and Monday (Pâques, closures)
April 27–29 (likely): Great Roman Games, Nîmes
May 1: Labor Day (Fête due Travail or Fête du Premier Mai; closures)
May–July: Versailles Festival (classical music, opera, dance, contemporary art)
May 5–12 (likely): Nuits Sonores, Lyon (electronic music festival)
May 8: VE (Victory in Europe) Day (Fête de la Victoire 1945 or Jour de la Liberation; closures, parades)
May 14–25: Cannes Film Festival
May 18: Night of Museums, across France (museums stay open late and for free)
May 23–26 (likely): Monaco Grand Prix
May 24–25 (likely): Joan of Arc Festival, Rouen (pageants)
May 25–June 9 (likely): D-Day Festival, across Normandy
May 30: Ascension (closures)
May 30–July 4 (likely): Festival of St. Denis, Paris (classical concerts by international artists)
May 31–June 2 (likely): Rendez-vous aux Jardins (noteworthy gardens open to the public), Paris and elsewhere
May 31–June 9 (likely): Paris Beer Week
June–July: Nuits de Fourvière, Lyon (theater and music in a Roman theater)
June 6: 75th Anniversary of the Normandy D-Day Landing (Jour J)
June 9–10: Pentecost and Whit Monday (closures)
June 15–16: Le Mans auto race, near Loire Valley
June 19–August 6: Chorégies d'Orange (performances in Roman theater)
June 21: Fête de la Musique (concerts and dancing in the streets throughout France)
June 27–July 12 (likely): Jazz à Vienne, south of Lyon
June 29–July 21: Tour de France (culminates on the Champs-Elysées in Paris)
July–August: Cannes Festival of Pyrotechnic Art (fireworks)
July 2–30 (likely): Carcassonne Festival (theatre, music, dance, plus jousting matches and medieval festivities)
July 3–13 (likely): Colmar International Festival
July 3–22: Aix Festival (classical music and opera)
July 5–23 (likely): Avignon Festival (theater, dance, music)
July 5–28 (likely): Beaune International Festival of Baroque Opera
July 7–September 2 (likely): Paris Plage (ersatz beach along the Seine)
July 13–21 (likely): Jazz à Juan, Antibes/Juan-les-Pins (international jazz festival)
July 14: Bastille Day ("le 14 Juillet," closures, fireworks, revelry)
July 15–August 3 (likely): Festival Paris l'Été (theater, dance, concerts)
July 16–20 (likely): Nice Jazz Festival
August 2–4 (likely): Jasmine Festival, Grasse (flower-themed parades)
August 2–6 (likely): Lavender parade, Digne-les-Bains