Public Holiday Calendar Guide for France
France has a national list of statutory public holidays, but a statutory holiday is not automatically a non-working day for every private-sector employee. Labour law gives Labour Day special protection, while whether other public holidays are worked or taken off is generally determined by collective agreements or, failing that, by the employer.[1][2] Local rules in Alsace-Moselle add further holidays, so location and employment arrangements both matter when planning around the French calendar.[3]
Statutory Holidays and Days Off Work
The Labour Code defines the national statutory holidays, combining civic commemorations with Christian observances such as Easter Monday, Ascension, Whit Monday, Assumption, All Saints' Day, and Christmas.[1] However, the legal classification of a day as a public holiday does not by itself mean that every employee must be off work.
For public holidays other than Labour Day, an enterprise or establishment agreement, or otherwise a branch agreement, determines which holidays are non-working. If there is no applicable agreement, the employer determines them.[2] Employees can therefore encounter different working arrangements even when they are subject to the same national holiday calendar.
Labour Day Has Special Protection
Labour Day is treated differently from the other national holidays. It is generally a compulsory non-working day, and employees must not lose pay because it is observed.[2] Work is permitted only in establishments and services where the nature of the activity makes interruption impossible.
An employee who is required to work on Labour Day under that exception receives the normal wage plus an indemnity equal to that wage, effectively doubling the remuneration for the work performed.[2] This special statutory rule should not be assumed to apply automatically to work on every other public holiday; additional pay for other holidays can depend on the applicable collective arrangements.[2]
Pay on Other Non-Working Public Holidays
When a public holiday other than Labour Day is designated as non-working, eligible employees who meet the statutory seniority condition cannot suffer a reduction in salary because of the holiday.[2] The protection also extends to qualifying seasonal employees, while the Labour Code specifies exceptions for certain categories of workers.[2]
Hours not worked because a statutory holiday is observed as a non-working day do not have to be recovered later.[1] This differs from a bridge day voluntarily granted between a holiday and a weekly rest period, for which the employer may arrange recovery of the lost working hours.[4]
Alsace-Moselle Has Additional Holiday Rules
Bas-Rhin, Haut-Rhin, and Moselle are subject to special local labour-law provisions. The local statutory calendar includes the second day of Christmas, while Good Friday is a non-working holiday in municipalities meeting the conditions specified by the Labour Code.[3] The legislation also contains special rules governing Sunday and holiday employment in industrial, commercial, and craft businesses.
The Good Friday rule is particularly local: in Bas-Rhin and Haut-Rhin it is linked to municipalities with a Protestant church or a mixed church, while separate provisions allow the administrative authority in Moselle to regulate commercial opening on Good Friday.[3] Travelers and employers in Alsace-Moselle should therefore consult the rules for the precise location rather than applying the general metropolitan calendar alone.
Bridge Days Are Not Additional Public Holidays
The French practice known as faire le pont involves creating a longer break by not working on a day situated between a public holiday and one or more weekly rest days. A bridge day is not itself a statutory public holiday. An employer may grant such a break, and working hours lost because of it can subsequently be recovered.[4]
This distinction matters when planning leave or business operations. A long weekend shown on an employer's internal calendar may result from a company arrangement rather than an additional legal holiday, so another workplace may remain open on the same day.
The Solidarity Day Is a Separate Employment Arrangement
The journée de solidarité is designed to support measures benefiting the autonomy of older people and people with disabilities. In the private sector it generally takes the form of additional work without corresponding additional remuneration within the statutory limit.[5]
Its implementation is not permanently tied to Whit Monday. A collective agreement can provide for work on a public holiday that was previously non-working, other than Labour Day, the use of an eligible rest day, or another arrangement that adds previously unworked hours. If there is no applicable collective agreement, the employer determines the arrangement after consulting the employee representative body where required.[5]
Planning Work and Travel Around French Holidays
For workplace planning, check three things separately: whether the date is a statutory holiday, whether it is normally non-working in the organization, and whether a collective agreement provides additional rights or remuneration.[1][2] This is more reliable than assuming that every public holiday produces an identical nationwide shutdown.
Visitors should likewise confirm opening hours directly with museums, shops, restaurants, transport operators, and other services. Employment law permits work on many statutory holidays depending on the applicable arrangements, so the legal holiday calendar alone cannot determine whether a particular establishment will be open.[2]
Frequently Asked Questions about Holidays in France
Are all French public holidays automatically days off work?
No. Labour Day is generally compulsory time off, subject to a narrow continuity exception. For other statutory holidays, collective agreements or, in their absence, the employer generally determine which days are non-working.[2]
Does an employee automatically receive extra pay for working on any public holiday?
No. Labour Day has a statutory rule providing additional compensation when an employee lawfully works that day. For other public holidays, a pay increase can depend on the applicable collective agreement or other employment provisions.[2]
Do employees have to make up hours lost because of a non-working public holiday?
No. The Labour Code provides that hours lost because a statutory holiday is observed as non-working are not recovered.[1] This should not be confused with hours lost because an employer grants a bridge day, which can be recovered under the applicable rules.[4]
Does France provide a replacement day when a public holiday falls on a weekend?
There is no general statutory rule automatically creating a substitute weekday merely because a public holiday coincides with a normal rest day. More favorable arrangements may exist under a collective agreement or workplace rules.[2]
What is faire le pont?
Faire le pont means creating an extended break by taking or being granted a working day between a public holiday and weekly rest days. The bridge day is not an additional statutory holiday, and an employer may arrange recovery of working hours lost because of it.[4]
Does Alsace-Moselle have additional public holidays?
Yes. Special local labour rules apply in Bas-Rhin, Haut-Rhin, and Moselle. They include the second day of Christmas and, under specified local conditions, Good Friday.[3]
Is the solidarity day always observed on Whit Monday?
No. The solidarity day can be organized in several ways under a collective agreement or, where no agreement applies, by the employer under the statutory procedure. Working a previously non-working public holiday other than Labour Day is only one possible arrangement.[5]
Sources
- Chapitre III : Jours fériés (Articles L3133-1 à L3133-12)- Légifrance
- L'employeur peut-il faire travailler ses salariés les jours fériés ?- Service Public
- Chapitre IV : Dispositions particulières aux départements de la Moselle, du Bas-Rhin et du Haut-Rhin. (Articles L3134-1 à L3134-16)- Légifrance
- Les jours fériés en 2025- Service Public
- Journée de solidarité : comment ça marche ?- Service Public