PUBLIC HOLIDAY. The next holiday of the year 2023 is approaching. This is the National Day. And after ? Here are all the dates of public holidays in 2023 and 2024, in our calendar.
[Mis à jour le 23 juin 2023 à 21h41] In the calendar for the year 2023, there are now only 5 public holidays left: the National Day, the Assumption, All Saints Day, the 1918 Armistice and Christmas. THE summer holidays will be marked by two public holidays. On the one hand July 14, which falls on a Friday and allows a long weekend of 3 days, then on the other hand the Assumption on the date of Tuesday August 15th, offering the opportunity for a 4-day weekend from August 12 to 15 by bridging the gap! Check the list of public holidays for 2023-2024 to find out when to go and download our calendar of School vacation 2023-2024 with public holidays.
Consult the dates of the 11 public holidays in 2023 in France, in order to better plan long weekends and possible bridges:
- Sunday January 1, 2023 : New Year’s Day
- Monday, April 10, 2023 : Easter Monday
- Monday, May 1, 2023 : Labor Day
- Monday, May 8, 2023 : Armistice 1945
- Thursday, May 18, 2023 : Ascent
- Monday, May 29, 2023 : Pentecost Monday
- Friday July 14th 2023 : National Holiday
- Tuesday, August 15, 2023 : Assumption
- Wednesday, November 1, 2023 : Toussaint
- Saturday November 11, 2023 : 1918 Armistice
- Monday, December 25, 2023 : Christmas
What days to ask in 2023 to bridge the gap?
Several bridges are possible in the 2023 calendar of public holidays:
- Thanks to Tuesday August 15 of the Assumption, you will be able to ask the Monday, August 14, 2023 to enjoy a pleasant summer long weekend, especially if you are not on summer vacation at that time!
- If you want to ask two days in a row to make the bridge, in October, ask on Monday 30 and Tuesday 31 October, because All Saints Day falls on Wednesday 1 November. So you can enjoy the Halloween evening as it should be!
The month of July 2023 will be marked by a single public holiday, July 14, National Day, which falls on a Friday. This will be an opportunity to enjoy a 3-day extended weekend!
August 2023 will be marked by a single public holiday, August 15, Assumption Day, which falls on a Tuesday. If you are not on vacation, this will be the opportunity to pose on Monday August 14 in order to benefit from a 4-day weekend!
Here is the official calendar for the 2023 school year which contains, in addition to the traditional holiday periods by zone, the dates of public holidays in France:
Consult the dates of the 11 public holidays in 2024 in France, in order to plan holidays well in advance!
- Monday, January 1, 2024 : New Year’s Day
- Monday, April 1, 2024 : Easter Monday
- Wednesday, May 1, 2024 : Labor Day
- Wednesday, May 8, 2024 : Armistice 1945
- Thursday, May 9, 2024 : Ascent
- Monday, May 20, 2024 : Pentecost Monday
- Sunday July 14, 2024 : National Holiday
- Thursday, August 15, 2024 : Assumption
- Friday, November 1, 2024 : Toussaint
- Monday, November 11, 2024 : 1918 Armistice
- Wednesday, December 25, 2024 : Christmas
How many public holidays are there in France each year?
Public holidays commemorate a civil or religious holiday or a significant event, the list of which is defined by the Labor Code. In France, the year has 11 public holidays, compared to 10 in Belgium, 12 in Spain and 9 in Germany. In Europe, Cypriots have the most public holidays with 15 days per year. Conversely, in the United Kingdom, there are only 8. These dates have been determined according to the history and culture of the country. There are therefore two types of public holidays, civil and religious.
There are 5 civil holidays: New Year’s Day since the 1st Empire in 1810, May 1 (Labor Day) declared non-working in 1919, May 8 commemorating the surrender of Germany, July 14 celebrating the capture of the Bastille and who has been unemployed since July 6, 1880, and November 11, World War I Armistice Day. And 6 religious holidays: Assumption, Ascension, All Saints, Christmas, Pentecost and Easter are the 6 religious holidays in France.
The first four became public holidays from 1802 following the signing of the Concordat between Bonaparte and the papacy. Easter Monday and Pentecost Monday were added in 1886. Note: there are some local particularities: in Alsace-Moselle, Good Friday and December 26 are also public holidays and in the overseas departments, the abolition of slavery.
Are public holidays paid?
May 1, Labor Day, is in France the only day that companies must have a day off and be paid for (but there may be professions that make exceptions.) For other public holidays, the law provides that when day n is not working in a company, the employee must be paid from 3 months of seniority. If the public holiday is worked, the employer is not obliged to remunerate his employee more, on the other hand certain collective agreements provide for an increase.
It is therefore advisable to consult your collective agreement to find out your situation. With regard to bridges, there is no obligation for the employer to grant them. If the collective agreement does not specify this feature, the employer remains free to decide. In any case, he is not forced to pay his employee that day. On the other hand, the employer can impose a bridge on the employees.
Is a public holiday a day off?
A public holiday is not necessarily a day off (not worked). The employer has the right to ask his employee to work on a public holiday, with the exception of May 1, Labor Day. Indeed, May 1st is the only compulsory public holiday for all employees of all companies in France. It is therefore necessarily non-working and paid unlike other public holidays. But if May 1st falls on a usual rest day in the company (for example, a Sunday), it will not be paid and it does not give rise to the right to additional rest.