November in France is full of great events. The month starts with Halloween and includes chocolate, photographic exhibitions, food and wine. But of all the events in France in November, the most poignant and faithfully observed is Armistice Day. It commemorates the peace treaty that ended World War I at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918.

To Nov 1, 2025: Giverny, Claude Monet’s house and garden closes at the end of Nov 1 for the season. It will reopen on April 1, 2026.

To Nov 2, 2025: Rolex Paris Masters tennis tournament is the final ATP World Masters event. Held in the Accor Arena on a hard surface, 48 players will compete. Currently Novak Djokovic holds the record with 6 wins and he remains the only player to defend the title (2013–2015). The  2024 tournament was won by Alexander Zverev.

To Nov 2, 2025: Disneyland Paris celebrates its Halloween Festival with Disney villains roaming the streets. On October 31 Disney’s Halloween Party takes over the park from 8pm to 2am. Book early and expect lots of families.

To Nov 2, 2025: Halloween might not be celebrated in France as it is in the UK or USA. But it remains a special time, with France taking All Saints’ Day (Toussaints) on November 1 very seriously.

Here’s more about how the French celebrate Halloween in France.

Please note: The Toussaints (All Saints) school holiday runs from Saturday Oct 18 to Sunday Nov 2, 2025. That means that attractions all over France will be busy during that time.

To Nov 2, 2025:  Paris Chocolate Fair at Porte de Versailles is a must for chocoholics. 280 exhibitors from all over the world: chocolatiers, pastry chefs and other professionals take part. There’s a pastry show with top chefs demonstrating their skills, the cacao show with music and performances from cocoa-producing countries, talks and tasting, workshops for adults and kids and the startling fashion show which challenges your ideas about chocolate.

To Nov 2, 2025: The prestigious Paris Salon d’Automne art show began in 1903 with the likes of Guimard, Cezanne, Bonnard, Roualt, and Matisse. The idea was to shock the old and introduce the new. It continues today with works by 890 artists including 161 new participants from 43 countries. It takes place in the Petit Palais.

The Salon d’Automne is an association of artists, non-profit-making, founded in 1903, recognized for its public utility since 1920, whose aim is to encourage and develop fine arts in all its events and particularly through exhibitions both in France and abroad.

To Nov 2, 2025: International Garden Festival at Chaumont-sur-Loire château in the Loire Valley is a fabulous, huge Festival, the Chelsea Flower Show of France. The Château and grounds are lovely and the festival of a series of gardens from international designers always delivers some surprises. This year’s theme is Once Upon a Time in the Garden.

To Nov 11, 2025: Halloween at the Parc Astérix  means activities and characters get out of control! Haunted houses, evil creatures and fantastic monsters terrorize (or amuse) young Gauls. This year, Peur sur le Parc (Fear in the Park) returns with attractions and shows to spook kids and adults.

To Dec 7, 2025:  The Herring and Coquilles Saint-Jacques Festivals in Normandy are superb and the chance to celebrate these famous fishes, so necessary to Normandy. Join the 100,000 odd enthusiasts for tastings, discussing the merits of, and enjoying every kind of cured herring and Coquille Saint-Jacques. Dieppe is the best known of the festivals, taking place this year on Nov 15 and 16.

There are many other ports along the Alabaster Coast that celebrate herrings and scallops, Granville, Ouistreham, Villers-sur-Mer, Port-en-Bessin, Dieppe, Courseulles-sur-Mer, Grandcamp-Maisy, Trouville-sur-Mer.

If you’re there, check out the Normandy D-Day Landing beaches.

To Dec 20, 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 Jan 4, 2026: Chartres en lumières sees this wonderful city illuminated for its festival of light. It’s nightly so there’s no excuse to miss it. It runs from dusk to 1am.

Events starting in France in November 2025

Nov 7-9, 2025: Salon Gourmand in Rouen, Normandy, is another of those glorious food festivals. Over 250 exhibitors show off their wares: wine, beer, sweet things, chocolate, cheese and more. There are chef demonstrations, tastings and a whole lot more.

Nov 11, 2025: Armistice Day is a public holiday in France. Every village, town and city has parades to honour the L’armistice de la Première Guerre Mondiale commemorating the end of World War 1. At exactly 11am on the 11^th day of the 11^th month, Armistice Day, one-minute’s silence is held and France stops as people reflect on the past. The Armistice was signed at the Armistice Museum in the forest of Compiègne in Picardy.

Nov 13-16, 2025: Paris Photo in part of the Grand Palais has over 140 galleries from 33 countries showing exceptional works. The largest international photo fair, there are talks and awards for photo books along with interviews and discussions with artists, gallery owners, collectors and the enthusiastic public. Even the catalogue is a work of art. Other galleries and museums in Paris highlight their photographic collections.

Nov 16, 2025 At midnight the famous Nouveau Beaujolais is released. The Nouveau Beaujolais est arrivé sign appears in restaurants all over the world and though the wine is not the greatest (far too young), it’s a fun evening. The best place to celebrate is Lyon, capital of the Beaujolais region, in the Place des Terreaux. Organised by young wine producers, it’s a festival with fireworks, tastings, street theatre and more. All the local bouchons (restaurants in Lyon) offer special menus.  The celebrations run over 5 days throughout the country from Nov 19 to Dec 23. It’s one of the major global celebrations of French events in November.
If you’re not in France, you can officially buy the wine wherever you are at 12.01am on the day of release.

Nov 16, 2025: The Beaune Wine Auction is the most famous wine auction in the world. Taking place over a weekend, it’s not just the wine auction, conducted by Christie’s, that is the attraction. All the major vineyards open their cellars for tastings, and there’s plenty to see and do. You must book tickets in advance.

Nov 20-23, 2025: The International Festival of Animal and Nature Photography in Montier-en-Der, Haute-Marne, Grand Est, takes over around fifteen sites with international exhibitions. Over 2,000 photos are on major naturalist and environmental themes, with different themes each year. Conferences and screenings, and well-known speakers from the worlds of science, the media and culture.

Nov 21, 2025-Jan 4, 2026: Nancy in east France begins its Christmas celebrations with the lighting up of the Christmas tree on Place Stanislas and the grand market on Place Charles III. It’s 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.

Nov 22-Dec 7, 2025: Cannes Dance Festival was founded in 1984. Internationally famous, it is particularly strong on contemporary dance, introducing new choreographers as well as supporting well-known dance companies.

Late November–January 2026: 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 events in November in France just in time for Christmas.

Here are the Christmas Markets in North France in 2024.

Here are the Christmas Markets in the rest of France in 2024.

Nov 28-Dec 7, 2025: 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.

Events in France in 2025

If you know of other events you think I should include, please do let me know!

Events in France in January 2025
Events in France in February 2025
Events in France in March 2025
Events in France in April 2025
Events in France in May 2025
Events in France in June 2025
Events in France in July 2025
Events in France in August 2025
Events in France in September 2025
Events in France in October 2025
Events in France in December 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…

French Public Holidays

More about great Food Festivals in France

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