Nice Carnival
Season or date: Mid-February to early March
Southern France''s largest carnival with flower battles and light parades
Festivals in France
Discover traditional festivals and celebrations of this country
Festivals
Paris Fashion Week
Season or date: 4 times yearly (January, March, June, September)
Unveiling latest haute couture and prêt-à-porter collections
Cannes Film Festival
Season or date: May
Prestigious film festival gathering world''s film industry for Palme d''Or
Tour de France
Season or date: July
World''s largest bicycle road race, crossing France for approximately 3 weeks
Bastille Day
Season or date: July 14
National holiday celebrating Bastille''s fall with military parade on Champs-Élysées
Fête des Lumières (Lyon)
Season or date: December 8
Historical event lighting candles in windows, city adorned with lights
Strasbourg Christmas Market
Season or date: Late November to December
Traditional Alsatian Christmas market said to originate from 1570
Chartres Light Festival
Season or date: April to October
Projection mapping over 30 locations including UNESCO World Heritage cathedral
Feria de Nîmes
Season or date: May, September
Bullfighting in ancient amphitheater and city music and wine festival
Francofolies de La Rochelle
Season or date: July
Large outdoor festival themed on French-language music
Public holidays
- New Year''s Day
- Easter Monday
- May Day
- WWII Victory Day
- Ascension Day
- Whit Monday
- Bastille Day
- Assumption of Mary
- All Saints'' Day
- WWI Armistice Day
- Christmas