France Holidays

France Holidays posts collect short pieces on the public holidays observed across France. Articles cover Bastille Day on 14 July with the parade down the Champs-Elysees, the All Saints break around 1 November when families visit cemeteries, the May calendar that strings together Labour Day, Victory in Europe and Ascension into a series of long weekends called ponts, the Catholic feasts of Assumption and Pentecost still on the calendar, and the regional Saint Stephen’s Day in Alsace and Moselle. There are practical notes on which shops actually close and on the August holiday slowdown.