In short:
- Of the 11 statutory public holidays in France, only 1 May is a compulsory day off for all employees. The others are days off if an agreement or the employer provides for it.
- A public holiday off causes no loss of pay for employees with at least 3 months of service.
- Working on 1 May entitles employees to double pay. For other public holidays, any increase depends on the collective agreement.
- A public holiday falling on a Sunday or another non-working day gives no extra day of leave, unless an agreement provides otherwise.
Public holidays in France (jours fériés) are statutory holidays that can be days off, or worked and paid under conditions that vary from case to case. The rules below apply to private-sector employees and come from the Service-Public guide on public holidays and bridge days, checked on 1 January 2026.
What are the public holidays in France in 2026 and 2027?
France has 11 statutory holidays in the general case. 11 November 2026, Armistice Day, falls on a Wednesday.
| Statutory holiday | Date in 2026 | Date in 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| New Year’s Day | Thursday 1 January | Friday 1 January |
| Easter Monday | Monday 6 April | Monday 29 March |
| Labour Day | Friday 1 May | Saturday 1 May |
| Victory in Europe Day | Friday 8 May | Saturday 8 May |
| Ascension Day | Thursday 14 May | Thursday 6 May |
| Whit Monday | Monday 25 May | Monday 17 May |
| Bastille Day | Tuesday 14 July | Wednesday 14 July |
| Assumption Day | Saturday 15 August | Sunday 15 August |
| All Saints’ Day | Sunday 1 November | Monday 1 November |
| Armistice Day | Wednesday 11 November | Thursday 11 November |
| Christmas Day | Friday 25 December | Saturday 25 December |
In 2027, four public holidays fall on a Saturday or Sunday: 1 May, 8 May, 15 August and 25 December. The year’s HR deadlines are also gathered in the site’s HR calendar.
Alsace-Moselle and overseas territories
In Alsace-Moselle, two days are added: Good Friday, in municipalities with a Protestant church or a mixed church, and 26 December, known as the second day of Christmas. In 2027, Good Friday falls on 26 March.
In the overseas departments and regions, Saint-Barthélemy and Saint-Martin, the commemoration of the abolition of slavery is also a public holiday. Its date varies by territory:
| Territory | Date |
|---|---|
| Mayotte | 27 April |
| Martinique | 22 May |
| Guadeloupe and Saint-Martin | 27 May |
| French Guiana | 10 June |
| Saint-Barthélemy | 9 October |
| Réunion | 20 December |
Some local or professional commemorations are also public holidays, such as Saint Eligius’ Day, recognised by some collective agreements in the metalworking industry, or Saint Barbara’s Day for mine workers.
Day off or working day: who decides?
1 May is the only public holiday that is a compulsory day off for all employees, whatever the company. As an exception, an employee may work on that day if the company cannot interrupt work because of the nature of its activity, such as a hospital or a public transport network.
Other public holidays are days off if a provision says so, in this order:
- the collective agreement, a sector agreement or a company or establishment agreement;
- failing any agreement, the employer’s decision.
The employee does not have to make up the hours not worked on a public holiday off.
Employees under 18
An employee or apprentice under 18 cannot work on statutory public holidays. Exceptions exist in certain sectors: hotels, restaurants, caterers, cafés and bars, bakeries, pastry shops, butchers, delicatessens, cheese shops, fishmongers, florists and garden centres, entertainment, and some food businesses.
A young person who works on a public holiday is then entitled to a weekly rest of at least 36 consecutive hours. The rules specific to work-study contracts are covered in the article on apprenticeship or professionalisation contracts.
Is a public holiday off paid?
A public holiday off cannot cause any loss of pay for an employee with at least 3 months of service in the company. A seasonal employee who has signed several contracts with the same company is also paid if their combined length of service reaches 3 months.
| Employee | Public holiday off paid? |
|---|---|
| At least 3 months of service | Yes, with no loss of pay |
| Seasonal worker, 3 months of combined service | Yes |
| Home worker | No, unless a more favourable agreement or practice applies |
| Intermittent worker | No, unless a more favourable agreement or practice applies |
| Temporary agency worker | Yes if the holiday falls within the assignment |
Example applying this rule: a monthly-paid employee with 4 months of service, whose company closes on Wednesday 11 November 2026, receives their usual monthly salary, with no deduction for that day.
A public holiday off can also fall on a day that is not normally worked, such as a Sunday. The employee is then not entitled to any extra day of leave, unless a more favourable collective agreement applies. This is the case of All Saints’ Day 2026, a Sunday.
1 May: separate rules
1 May cannot be a reason to reduce pay. Employees paid by the hour, by the day or by output receive compensation equal to the pay lost, paid by the employer.
An employee who works on 1 May receives double pay. For other public holidays worked, the Service-Public guide does not mention any statutory increase: pay depends on the applicable collective agreement.
Public holidays and working time
Unless an agreement or practice says otherwise, hours not worked because of a public holiday do not count as actual working time when calculating overtime pay. A week that includes a public holiday off is therefore less likely to trigger overtime.
Public holidays also affect benefits linked to working days. Meal vouchers cannot be used on Sundays and public holidays, except by employees who work on those days.
Bridge days: what are the rules?
A bridge day (pont), before or after a public holiday, may be granted in the company. This practice is not regulated: the bridge day is provided for by an agreement or decided by the employer.
Hours lost during a bridge day can be made up within the 12 months before or after it. These hours are not paid at a higher rate. Making up hours is possible in particular when 1 or 2 working days are taken off between a public holiday and a weekly rest day, or when the day before annual leave is taken off.
Example applying this rule: in 2027, 11 November falls on a Thursday. If the company grants the following Friday as a bridge day, the hours of that Friday can be made up within the 12 months before or after the bridge day, at the normal rate.
The rules on taking paid leave in France, another way to extend a public holiday, are covered in a dedicated article.
The solidarity day
The solidarity day (journée de solidarité) is one extra unpaid working day per year, used to fund support for elderly or disabled people. It can take three forms:
- working on a public holiday previously taken off, other than 1 May, such as Whit Monday;
- working on a reduced working time (RTT) day;
- any other arrangement for working 7 hours not previously worked, such as a Saturday.
Its terms are set by the collective agreement or another agreement, or failing that by the employer after consulting the social and economic committee (CSE).
| Employee | Maximum unpaid time |
|---|---|
| Monthly-paid, full time | 7 hours |
| Part time | 7 hours, reduced in proportion to contractual working time |
| On a days-based working arrangement (forfait jours) | 1 day |
Hours worked on the solidarity day are not overtime. In Alsace-Moselle, it cannot take place on 25 and 26 December or on Good Friday.
An employee who has already done the solidarity day with another employer during the year may refuse to do another one, without this refusal being misconduct. If they do it, the hours are paid as overtime and give entitlement to compulsory compensatory rest.
Frequently asked questions
Does an employee have to work on a public holiday in France?
Only 1 May is a compulsory day off for all employees, except in companies that cannot interrupt their activity, such as hospitals or public transport. Other public holidays are days off if the collective agreement, another agreement or, failing that, the employer provides for it. An employee under 18 cannot work on statutory public holidays, except in certain sectors.
Is a public holiday off paid?
Yes, for employees with at least 3 months of service in the company: a public holiday off cannot cause any loss of pay. Payment is not due to home workers, intermittent workers and temporary agency workers, except for the latter if the holiday falls within their assignment. For 1 May, no length-of-service condition is mentioned: it cannot reduce pay.
Is work on a public holiday paid at a higher rate?
According to the Service-Public guide, an employee who works on 1 May receives double pay. For other public holidays, the guide does not mention any statutory increase: pay depends on the applicable collective agreement.
Does a public holiday falling on a Sunday give a day off?
No. When a public holiday off falls on a day that is not normally worked, such as Sunday, the employee is not entitled to any extra day of leave. A collective agreement may, however, provide more favourable terms.
Sources
- Service-Public, Jours fériés et ponts dans le secteur privé (public holidays and bridge days in the private sector), guide checked on 1 January 2026, consulted on 9 November 2026.
- Service-Public, Heures supplémentaires d’un salarié du secteur privé (overtime), guide checked on 8 June 2026, consulted on 28 October 2026.
- Service-Public, Comment obtenir et utiliser des titres-restaurant ? (meal vouchers), guide checked on 8 July 2026, consulted on 9 November 2026.