Holidays & Festivals

London

Holidays:
In England, public holidays include New Year’s Day (January 1), Good Friday, Easter Monday, May Day (May 1), spring and summer bank holidays (last Monday in May and August, respectively), Christmas Day (December 25) and Boxing Day (December 26).

Festivals:
Many of London’s best happen on the banks of the Thames River, while throughout the year innumerable individual festivals enliven other parts of the city. A few of the festivals are important dates in the social calendar: the Chelsea Flower Show, Wimbledon, the Proms, the Boat Race and Notting Hill Carnival. Each event is, in its own way, unique to the city and is enjoyed by ardent fans. Whatever the time of year, there’s always likely to be some kind of celebration going on near you.

Paris

Holidays:
Holidays in France are known as jours fériés. Shops and banks are closed, as well as many (but not all) restaurants and museums. Major holidays include New Year’s Day, Easter Monday, Ascension Day (40 days after Easter), Pentecost (seventh Sunday after Easter), May Day, VE Day (May 8), Bastille Day (July 14), Assumption of the Virgin Mary (August 15), All Saints’ Day (November 1), Armistice Day (November 11) and Christmas Day.

Festivals:
From Christmas, Chopin and cinema to Chinese New Year, raï music and Gay Pride, somewhere in Paris something is being celebrated. Cultural festivals in the city are especially good and often give visitors an opportunity to experience a range of Parisian, French and international music or cinema, sometimes for free.

Amsterdam

Holidays:
In the Netherlands, expect banks, shops and most museums to be closed, and public transportation to operate on limited schedules, on the following major holidays: New Year’s Day, Good Friday, Easter Sunday, Easter Monday, Ascension Day, Queen’s Day (April 30), Pentecost, Pentecost Monday, Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

Festivals:
Amsterdam is a city that hosts many arts and cultural festivals. These festivals include the Amsterdam Fantastic Film Festival (April), which celebrates all film genres; Holland Festival (end of May–June), the biggest performing arts festival in the Netherlands; the Grachtenfestival (August), more than 80 classical concerts throughout the heart of Amsterdam; and Uitmarkt (end of August), considered the largest cultural event in Amsterdam.