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Bookmark & shareThe festive French never knowingly turn down the opportunity for a party, and the national calendar is packed to the brim with all manner of festivals, fairs, holidays and cultural events. Many cities host music, dance, theatre, cinema or art events each year. Rural villages hold fairs and fetes, which celebrate everything from local saints to agricultural progress. Prominent national holidays include May Day (1 May), when people trade gifts of muguet (lily of the valley) for good luck; and Bastille Day (14 July), which commemorates the storming of the Bastille in 1789 with plenty of fireworks and outdoor parades.
Regional events include the primping and preening prêt à porter fashion show in Paris (early February); the Cannes Film Festival (mid-May), when Hollywood's glitterati descend on the French Riviera en masse ; the Deauville American Film Festival (September), a much lower-key affair than its dressy cousin in Cannes; the International Music Festival in Strasbourg (first three weeks of June); the mainstream and fringe theatre of the Festival d'Avignon (mid-July to mid-August) and the Jazz Festival in Nice (late-July/early August).
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May
International Film Festival
mid May
festival/event
The international film festival, held in Cannes each year, attracts the cream of the film-making world.
May Day
1 May
official holiday
Across France, the workers' day is celebrated with trade union parades, and diverse protests. People give each other muguet (lilies of the valley) for good luck. No one works - except waiters and muguet sellers.
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