Flag days in France 2026 and 2027
Published Written by Flagpole Guides
This page is an English translation of the French original. Where the two versions differ, the French text is the original.
No law in France lists the flag days. Each year the Prime Minister issues instructions for flags on public buildings on the national days, and the prefects pass them on to the mayors. A 2023 report of the National Assembly reproduces this list: fourteen days, most of them set by a law or a decree, plus Europe Day on 9 May and the national day on 14 July. Here are all the dates for 2026 and 2027, with the weekday, the flags and the text behind each day.
Flag days by year
Eleven of these dates are fixed. Three move: the last Sunday of April (26 April 2026, 25 April 2027), the second Sunday of May (10 May 2026, 9 May 2027) and the Sunday of or after 16 July (19 July 2026, 18 July 2027). In 2026 the festival of Joan of Arc falls on the same day as the commemoration of the abolition of slavery; in 2027, on the same day as Europe Day.
Where the dates come from
Each day rests on its own text. The national day on 14 July dates from the law of 6 July 1880. 11 November commemorates the 1918 Armistice (law of 24 October 1922) and, since law no. 2012-273 of 28 February 2012, honours all who died for France. 8 May became a public holiday again through law no. 81-893 of 2 October 1981. The more recent days were created by decree, such as the day of tribute to those who died for France in Indochina on 8 June (decree no. 2005-547 of 26 May 2005) or the day of the 18 June appeal (decree no. 2006-313 of 10 March 2006).
For public buildings, it is the Government’s instruction that triggers the flags, not the text that creates the day. According to a ministerial answer published in 2022, the Prime Minister gives these instructions through the General Secretariat of the Government, and they are repeated in the circular sent to the prefects for the national days.
The European flag on 9 May
On 9 May, Europe Day, the European flag flies beside the tricolour. According to the Ministry of the Interior’s protocol guide, it is the only day on which it is compulsory on public buildings. The national flag then takes the place of honour, and the European flag appears on its left when looking at the building. More on this is in the guide to flag protocol.
Throughout the day
According to the same ministerial answer, the flags fly throughout the day of commemoration. The ministry therefore advises raising them the evening before and taking them down the day after the ceremony. This is why some circulars mention the days “before and after” the date of the ceremony.
Other commemorations
The calendar in the protocol guide for mayors lists other commemorations that are not among the flag days in the 2023 report: the day of tribute to the victims of terrorism (11 March), the commemoration of the genocide against the Tutsi (7 April), that of the Armenian genocide (24 April) and the day of tribute to the victims of slavery (23 May). A Government instruction can, in a given year, provide for flags or half-mast on another occasion. The guide to half-mast covers official mourning.
Who flies the flag?
The instructions concern public buildings: those of the State, the local authorities and public bodies. The mayor, acting for the State, sees to the flags on municipal buildings. Private households, associations and businesses fly flags freely. Many French people fly the tricolour on 14 July, and in the overseas territories the commemoration of the abolition of slavery is a public holiday on a date specific to each territory. More on this is in the guide to flags on holidays.
Frequently asked questions
On which days are public buildings decorated with flags in France?
The Government asks for the national colours on fourteen days: 19 March, the last Sunday of April, 8, 9 and 10 May, the second Sunday of May, 27 May, 8 and 18 June, 14 July, the Sunday of or after 16 July, 25 September, 11 November and 5 December.
When is the European flag flown?
According to the Ministry of the Interior’s protocol guide, the European flag is compulsory on public buildings on 9 May, Europe Day. For the rest of the year flying it is optional, except at schools and secondary schools, where it flies permanently.
Which days change date from year to year?
Three: the day of remembrance of the deportation (last Sunday of April), the festival of Joan of Arc and of patriotism (second Sunday of May) and the day in memory of the victims of the racist and antisemitic crimes of the French State (16 July if it is a Sunday, otherwise the following Sunday).
Do private households have to fly a flag on these days?
No. The Government’s instructions concern public buildings. According to the Ministry of the Interior, a building that is not public may be decorated with flags freely, on flag days as on any other day.
How long does the flag stay up?
According to a ministerial answer published in the Senate’s Official Journal in 2022, the flags fly throughout the day of commemoration; it is advised to raise them the evening before and take them down the day after the ceremony.
Sources
This guide is based on the following sources, most of them in French:
- Rapport n° 1180 sur la proposition de loi visant à rendre obligatoire le pavoisement des drapeaux français et européen sur le fronton des mairies – Assemblée nationale
- Le protocole à l’usage des maires – Ministère de l’Intérieur
- Modalités protocolaires de la mise en berne des drapeaux lors de deuils officiels (question orale n° 096) – Sénat
- Décret n° 89-655 du 13 septembre 1989 relatif aux cérémonies publiques, préséances, honneurs civils et militaires – Légifrance
- Jours fériés et ponts dans le secteur privé – Service Public
Related guides
- Flag rulesThe rules on flag flying in France: the Constitution, Government instructions, schools, neutrality of public buildings and the offence of insulting the flag.
- Flags on holidaysFlags on public holidays in France: Bastille Day, 8 May, 11 November, the extra holidays of Alsace-Moselle and the abolition of slavery overseas.
- Half-mastHow a flag is flown at half-mast in France according to the Ministry of the Interior, who decides on half-mast and the black ribbon at the top of the pole.
- Flag protocolThe order of flags in France: the tricolour’s place of honour, the European flag, foreign and regional flags, ceremonies, wreaths and the mayor’s sash.