Events in France in December 2024 are spectacular. In major towns and cities, Christmas markets spring up in the streets and squares. Many places light up their buildings in glorious technicolor. Then it’s time for a short Christmas holiday (only Dec 25th is a public holiday), before gearing up for New Year’s Eve. Events in December in France are many, varied and exciting.
French school holidays (les Vacances de Noël) run from Dec 22, 2024 to 5 Jan, 2025. It’s a busy time so plan your stay in advance.

More on How the French Celebrate Christmas
And most importantly, what they eat. French Christmas food is a serious matter!
Events in France in December 2024
To Dec 8, 2024: La Festival de Sainte-Barbe in Lens-Liévin, Pas de Calais. The main towns are holding celebrations of the saint who was martyred for her Christian faith on December 4, c. 2,000AD. One of 14 Holy Helpers, she’s invoked in thunderstorms so has become the patron saint of miners, armourers, artillerymen, military engineers and others who work with explosives. Look out for events in Ablain-Saint-Nazaire, Aix-Noulette, Angres, Billy-Montigny, Bouvigny-Boyeffles, Bully-les-Mines, Harnes, Lens, Liévin, Loison-sous-Lens, Noyelles-Godault, Noyelles-sous-Lens, Pont-à-Vendin, Sains-en-Gohelle, Sallaumines, Vendin-le-Vieil, Vimy, Wingles.
The main festival is held on the weekend of December 6-8, 2024.

To Jan 5, 2025: Nancy in east France is a spectacular festival with a special weekend December 7 & 8. Over 70 exhibitors attend the event in brightly lit chalets, offering the public original gift ideas, art and craft objects and local specialities.

Late November–January 2025: Christmas Markets take place all over France. Strasbourg is particularly important in east France; in north France make for Arras. It’s a good way to celebrate Christmas in France.
Christmas Markets in North France in 2024
Christmas Markets in the rest of France in 2024.
All month: Many towns and cities light up their buildings. Chartres is one of the best known (and one of the first), but you’ll find others throughout the country. I thoroughly recommend Le Puy-en-Velay, in the middle of the remote southern Auvergne. The buildings half way up its extraordinary volcanic outcrops look as if they are suspended in the sky. Magical.

To Jan 5, 2025: The Lyon Contemporary Art Biennale was created in 1991. New contemporary artists, from sculptures to painters, photographers to video makers are represented. Three separate platforms are spread between the Contemporary Art Museum and La Sucrière on Quai Rambaud, La Veduta, a cultural laboratory with exhibitions and artists’ residencies, and Résonance, the biennial’s fringe event, devoted to the Rhône-Alpes art scene with performances and concerts. It alternates with the Dance Biennial which was created in 1984.

To Jan 14, 2024: Chartres en lumières sees this wonderful city illuminated for its annual festival of light. It’s nightly so there’s no excuse to miss it.

To Jan 26, 2025: Paris Autumn Festival is a huge, prestigious arts events, taking in every discipline and taking place in different venues throughout Paris. Around 50 events cover the new and the avant-garde. It was created in 1972 by Michel Guy under the impetus of Georges Pompidou who wanted Paris to become a cultural capital. He succeeded; today around 150,000 people attend one of the events.

To Mar 7, 2025: Vendée Globe. Since 1989 and taking place every four years, this solo sailing race is known for being one of the toughest challenges in the world. Of the 40 skippers taking part, only two-thirds are expected to cross the finish line. The race starts at Les Sables d’Olonne, a resort on the French Atlantic coast which is one of the world’s great sailing harbours and is well worth visiting.

Here’s the article on the 2020 Vendée Globe race

Events in France starting in December 2024

Dec 4-8, 2024: Les Trans Musicales Festival in Rennes, Brittany. Seeking out new musical trends, and new musicians since 1979, Les Trans has become synonymous with innovative, international music. Taking place at Rennes’ Exhibition Park, it produces some great new experiences.

December 5-8, 2024: Fête des Lumières, Lyon, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. This wonderful Festival started on Dec 8, 1852 when people in Lyon lit candles in their windows to celebrate the statue of the Virgin Mary being erected on Fourvière hill. It’s lost the religious meaning today but remains a fabulous city with over 30 new creations of light each year.

Dec 6-8, 2024: Salon du Cheval de Paris. The Paris Horse Show is important, with over 500 horses taking part in the diverse events from show jumping to dressage, eventing to the Arabian horse championship.

The highlight is undoubtedly the Longines Masters de Paris, the European leg of the Longines world wide series with prestigious equestrian competitions like the Grand Slam Master and the Prestige Trophy.
Around 50,000 visitors come to the Paris-Nord Villepinte exhibition centre with its Olympic-standard course. You can shop (if youcan afford it) at the ‘Prestige Village’ where small boutiques offer fashion, luxury goods, horse-riding items, and of course excellent food and wine.
Dec 6-8, 2024: Chestnut Fair (Fiera di a Castagna) in Bocognano in Celavo, Corsica is called the chestnut festival but it includes cheeses, olive oil, honey, wine and more. In fact all the goodies grown and produced in Corsica from over 150 agri-food producers plus music, crafts like pottery, knife-making and woodwork, and more.
More about food festivals in France throughout the year.

Dec, 2024: Licques Turkey Festival, Licques, Pas-de-Calais, Hauts-de-France. This wonderfully strange festival where turkeys are celebrated is always held around the same weekend in Dec (probably Dec 6-8, 2024). Hundreds of turkeys are released to “rampage” through the streets accompanied by local brotherhoods and dignitaries in all their finery! There’s also a gastronomic fair with wine tasting and food for all your Christmas luxuries.

Dec 7-8, 2024: Braderie de l’Art, Roubaix, Hauts-de-France. This artists’ 24-hour non-stop festival is right at the centre of the recycling movement. It’s a glorious event showing just what can be done by 150 international artists, designers, stylist, painters, sculptors and graphic artists. They take recovered articles gathered under the RE-COLLECT label and them into objects prices between 1 and 300 euros. It’s ‘Art that Everyone Can Afford‘ as the slogan reads.

Dec 7-14, 2024: Rise Festival, Les Deux Alpes. As they say: “We’re music-at-altitude, we’re 220km of pistes, we’re France’s second-oldest ski resort found on Europe’s largest skiable glacier, we’re six nights and seven days of partying and skiing.” Want to go to Rise Festival?

Dec 8, 2024: The Festival of Sainte Barbe, Lens-Lievin, Pas-de-Calais, Hauts-de-France. Fires and illumination are lit and the bands are playing to commemorate and celebrate la Sainte Barbe in Lens-Lievin. She is the martyred patron saint of miners, skilled mechanics and firemen and it’s quite a show in this surprisingly exciting former mining area that is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Dec 13-15, 2024: Les Habits de Lumière at Épernay in Champagne is a great public celebration before Christmas. The lit up city puts on a big parade, fireworks, exhibitions, music, cellar tours, cookery demonstrations and bubbly tastings. And on Sunday there’s a vintage car parade. Visit some of the smaller houses and make your own discoveries.
I went in 2022; it was spectacular. Read about it here.
If you’re in Reims, consider a visit to one of the great Champagne Houses.

Christmas in France 2024

Dec 24-26, 2024: Christmas Eve is the time when French families and friends get together for an almighty feast with oysters, salmon, beef and more. On Christmas Day some families go to church; other people gather in bars in the morning. Many shops are open, but only to noon or 1pm. It’s a quiet day!
Dec 31, 2024: Le Reveillon, or New Year’s Eve, is very much a public holiday. So book a restaurant and get merry with the French who certainly know how to enjoy themselves. And stay in a city which celebrates it very publicly.

How the French celebrate Christmas
Events in France in 2024
Events in France in January 2024
Events in France in February 2024
Events in France in March 2024
Events in France in April 2024
Events in France in May 2024
Events in France in June 2024
Events in France in July 2024
Events in France in August 2024
Events in France in September 2024
Events in France in October 2024
Events in France in November 2024
Geography of France
To help you find those events, here are a couple of articles on the geography of France
Regions of France
Departments of France
AND…
More about great Food Festivals in France
Happy Holidays!
