PUBLIC HOLIDAY. What are the dates of the 11 public holidays in 2023 but also in 2024? What days to ask for the bridge or enjoy a long weekend? List of public holidays and calendar 2023 with public holiday to download.
[Mis à jour le 3 janvier 2023 à 16h07] The year 2023 has some nice surprises in terms of public holidays, unlike 2022 where most non-working days fell on a Sunday… Four public holidays will fall this year 2023 on a monday : the Easter Monday, May 1, Armistice and Whit Monday. And only two public holidays will fall on the weekend: they are Sunday January 1 and Saturday November 11.
Among the 11 public holidays of 2023, it will be possible for some to take one or two days to benefit from extended weekends for 4 to 5 days. Indeed, only one public holiday will fall on a Friday, systematically imposing a long weekend of 3 days: it is July 14, 2023. Consult below the list of the next public holidays for the 2022-2023 school year and our calendar of School vacation.
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 14, 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 Ascension Thursday on May 18, 2023, you will be able to ask on Friday May 19 knowing that students will not have class on Friday May 19 and Saturday May 20, according to the official calendar of the Ministry of National Education. .
- 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!
In January 2023, New Year’s Day unfortunately falls on a Sunday, January 1… We will have to wait until April 2023 to finally enjoy another public holiday, Easter Monday, on the date from Monday, April 10, 2023.
The month of April will be marked by a single public holiday, Easter Monday, which falls on April 10, 2023 and will allow you to benefit from an extended weekend of 3 days! The month of May will guarantee many public holidays (4 in total), from May 1st!
The month of May will be rich in public holidays: May 1, May 8, May 18, May 29! If Monday May 1 (Labor Day), Monday May 8 (Armistice 1945) and Monday May 29 (Pentecost Monday) will allow you to enjoy an extended 3-day weekend, with Ascension Thursday which falls on May 18, taking leave on May 19, 2023 will allow you to obtain 4 more days of rest! Take advantage because there will be no public holidays in June.
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
- Thursday, 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 is commemorated.
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 entitle you to additional rest.