The winter season in France is brimming with festive sparkle. From the end of November to early January, Christmas markets are held across the whole country. In February and March, it’s carnival season. And there’s loads more going on – here are just a few of the major events this winter:
National Events in Winter in France
25 December – Christmas Day is a national holiday.
31 December – La Nuit de la Saint Sylvestre – New Year’s Eve. The feast day of Saint Sylvestre includes a festive celebration spent with friends at home or in a favourite restaurant. A kiss under the mistletoe is shared at the stroke of midnight.
1 January – New Year’s Day is a national holiday.
6 January – La Fête des Rois. It’s traditional to eat a special cake called the Galette des Rois on this day (read more about it here). You’ll see these scrumptious cakes in every patisserie in France. Inside the cake a lucky charm is hidden – the fève, and the person who finds the charm in his or her slice of cake, is crowned king or queen for a day! If you want to make one at home, here’s a recipe for Galette des Rois
14 February – St Valentine’s Day
Christmas markets and festive events
Discover loads of information about the Christmas markets, Christmas lights, festive food and events in our Ultimate Guide to Christmas in France on The Good Life France website: thegoodlifefrance.com/ultimateguidetochristmasinfrance
Enjoy our podcast on Christmas in France!
What’s new
On 15 April 2019, a major fire partially destroyed the upper part of Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral. After five years of work, the famous monument will reopen its doors on 7 and 8 December 2024. Note an online slot reservation system is due to be introduced before the opening to ensure the visitor experience is as its best – this is completely free, you do not need to buy tickets.
Lyon: Festival of Lights, 5-8 December 2025
The people of Lyon will, as they have since 1852, light candles and put them in the windows of their homes and the city puts on a spectacular light show with large-scale projections over some of the city’s most beautiful monuments. It all started when the residents of Lyon placed candles in coloured glasses on their windowsills to celebrate the installation of a statue of the Virgin Mary on the Fourvière Hill. fetedeslumieres.lyon.fr/en
Dordogne: Sarlat Truffle Festival, 18-19 January 2025
A big truffle market takes place mid-January in the enchanting medieval town of Sarlat, Dordogne. Expect to indulge in truffle flavoured gourmet specialities, music and festivities including workshops. And take home a couple of truffles, you can get them at a good price at the market. Details: sarlat-tourisme.com
Angoulême comic book festival 30 January to 2 February, 2025
France has one of the largest markets for bande-dessinée (comic book or graphic novels) in the world, and Angoulême, Charente, is where this is celebrated. People come from all over the world to enjoy this fun art event. bdangouleme.com
Mimosa Festival 12-16 February 2025
Spring is in the air and in Mandelieu-La-Napoule millions of sweet-smelling Mimosa flowers, known as “yellow suns”, bloom. Parades, processions, singing and dancing, this joyous event signals the end of winter in the south of France. Mandelieu-tourisme.com
Nice Carnival 15 February – 2 March 2025
Processions, flower parades and flower battles, rock, pop, fireworks, and giants. Over a million people flock to Nice to join in the fun heralding the start of spring. One of the most glamorous of all the French carnivals. nicecarnaval.com
Menton Lemon Festival 15 February – 2 March 2025
This amazing fruity festival features immense structures built with thousands of lemons and oranges. It’s one of the most popular festivals in the region and attracts many thousands of visitors from all over the world. fete-du-citron.com
Dunkirk Carnival
This unique carnival takes place From January to March when Dunkirk bursts into song and dance with locals and visitors for the carnival. This has to be one of the loudest and most fun carnivals in Europe. Here the people are the parade, dressed in quirky outfits. It’s especially frenzied when the Mayor throws herrings off his balcony into the crowds on the first day of the event known as the Trois Joyeuse (3 happy days) – Sunday 2 March 2025! www.dunkerque-tourisme.fr
Coming up
Spring starts 20 March, 2025 – don’t miss the spring issue of The Good Life France Magazine – subscribe here for free: button image with Link to: https://thegoodlifefrance.com/magazine-subscribe/
Perfect Paris Tour 6-12 April 2025
Join author (and editor of The Good Life France) Janine Marsh for a week in Paris to discover the most perfect, authentic and fascinating parts of the city of light.
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