Special days in France: 2026 and 2027 dates

France celebrates Mother’s Day, the Fête des Mères, on the last Sunday of May. There is one exception: when that Sunday is Pentecost, the Fête des Mères moves to the first Sunday of June. Father’s Day, the Fête des Pères, is the third Sunday of June.

France also has a day for each grandparent. The Fête des Grands-Mères is the first Sunday of March, and the Fête des Grands-Pères the first Sunday of October. They are a gentle reason to call or visit grandparents who may not hear from the family every week.

Relationship days

Day	2026	2027
Valentine's Day For love and romance	Sat, Feb 14	Sun, Feb 14
Grandmothers' Day For grandmothers	Sun, Mar 1	Sun, Mar 7
Mother's Day For mothers and mother figures	Sun, May 31	Sun, May 30
Father's Day For fathers and father figures	Sun, Jun 21	Sun, Jun 20
International Day of Friendship The UN day of friendship	Thu, Jul 30	Fri, Jul 30
Wife Appreciation Day For wives	Sun, Sep 20	Sun, Sep 19
Grandfathers' Day For grandfathers	Sun, Oct 4	Sun, Oct 3

Global days

Day	2026	2027
Halloween An evening of costumes and treats	Sat, Oct 31	Sun, Oct 31
New Year's Eve The last night of the year	Thu, Dec 31	Fri, Dec 31

Christian

Day	2026	2027
Good Friday The crucifixion of Jesus	Fri, Apr 3	Fri, Mar 26
Easter Sunday The resurrection of Jesus	Sun, Apr 5	Sun, Mar 28
All Saints' Day Remembering those we have lost	Sun, Nov 1	Mon, Nov 1
St Nicholas' Day Small gifts, often for children	Sun, Dec 6	Mon, Dec 6
Christmas Eve The night before Christmas	Thu, Dec 24	Fri, Dec 24
Christmas The birth of Jesus	Fri, Dec 25	Sat, Dec 25

Hindu

Day	2026	2027
Diwali The festival of lights	Sun, Nov 8	Fri, Oct 29

Islamic

Day	2026	2027
Eid al-Adha The festival of sacrifice	Expected Wed, May 27	Expected Mon, May 17
Eid al-Fitr The end of Ramadan	No date listed	Expected Wed, Mar 10

Buddhist

Day	2026	2027
Vesak Honoring the Buddha	No date listed	Thu, May 20

Expected dates follow the moon and can move by a day. They are confirmed closer to the time.

Notes on French dates

Fête des Mères moves a week later in years when the last Sunday of May is Pentecost. The dates in the table already take this into account.
Grandmothers’ Day and Grandfathers’ Day are separate days, seven months apart.
Diwali, Eid and Vesak are listed for families who keep them. Eid dates depend on the moon.