What’s on in France Winter 2026-2027

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. Find out what’s on in France Winter 2026-2027…

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 on in France Winter 2026-2027

Lyon: Festival of Lights, 5-8 December 2026

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, 17-18 January 2026

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 27-31 January 2027

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 10-14 February 2027

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 9-28 February 2027

Processions, flower parades and flower battles, rock, pop, fireworks, and giants. Over a million people flock to Nice to join in the carnival fun heralding the start of spring. One of the most glamorous of all the French carnivals. nicecarnaval.com

Menton Lemon Festival 13-28 February 2027

The 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 7 February 2027! www.dunkerque-tourisme.fr