Cultural and practical dates in France in March 2025 for your diary
It is carnival season as spring is in the air at last
The Carnaval Vénitien d’Annecy (Haute-Savoie) brings Venetian-style dresses to the streets of the old town
ErickN/Shutterstock
Cultural dates
March 1 and 2: The Sarlat Fest'Oie is a celebration of the Périgord’s foie gras tradition featuring a grand banquet and culinary workshops in the Place de la Liberté.
March 1 and 2: La Fête des Violettes in Tourrettes-sur-Loup (Alpes-Maritimes) celebrates the start of spring and the end of the violet season. The streets of the village come alive with music, traditional dances and flowers.
March 2: La fête des grand-mères. Grandchildren take note!
March 4: Le Mardi gras (Shrove Tuesday) is celebrated around France with carnivals featuring fancy dress, crepes, parades and music
March 5 to 9: Le Carnaval de Mulhouse (Haut-Rhin) takes place on the weekend after Mardi Gras to celebrate the end of winter. The festivities culminate with a fancy dress parade on Place de la Réunion.
March 7 to 9: Carnaval Vénitien d’Annecy (Haute-Savoie) brings Venetian-style harlequins, masks and sequinned dresses inspired by characters from the Commedia dell'arte to the streets of the old town, the banks of the lake, the Pâquier lawn, and the Jardins de l'Europe.
March 8: International Women's Day will be observed in schools around France to raise awareness of women's rights and gender equality.
March 17: St Patrick’s day. The Irish holiday is celebrated in France, where people dress in green and drink beer – especially in Irish pubs
Read more: Did you know? 12 Franco-Irish links to celebrate St Patrick’s Day
March 20: Start of spring.
March 20 to 23: Paris Music Festival celebrates its ninth edition with concerts at low prices around the city - at some unlikely venues.
March 23 - 25: The Printemps du Cinéma will see tickets for screenings at participating cinemas cost €5 per ticket.
March 27: National Cheese Day. Promotes traditional cheese-making skills and expertise in various regions.
March 31: L'Aïd El Fitr celebrates the end of the month of Ramadan.
Read more: Gas bills set to rise in France from March
Practical dates
March 3: End of half term for Zone C
March 5: Online applications open for UE/EEA citizens for UK's ETA travel authorisation scheme. Further information can be found at gov.uk/guidance/apply-for-an-electronic-travel-authorisation-eta. An ETA currently costs £10. The scheme began last year for citizens from certain Middle Eastern countries, further expanding in January to include citizens from all countries that have visa-free access to the UK with the exception of EU citizens, who will need one from April 2.
Read more: Will French children of British citizens need ETA to enter the UK?
March 10: End of half term for Zone A.
March 13: The final day for students planning to go to university to list their desired courses via the Parcoursup website.
March 29: Clocks go forward one hour.
March 31: TGV route between Paris and Milan reopens after more than a year of being closed following an Alpine landslide that blocked a key tunnel.
Read more: Paris - Milan train route to reopen in March
