Festivals, holidays and places to visit in France in April 2025

April 1: Poisson d'avril (April Fools’ Day). 

French people also use this day to play practical jokes, while the media, too, attempts to fool readers and viewers with made-up stories.

Primary school pupils have had a longstanding tradition of trying to stick a cutout paper fish on someone else’s back without them seeing.

April 1: Reopening of Claude Monet’s house in Giverny for the year.

April 11-13: Festival du Livre de Paris. 

Perfect for book-lovers, thousands of authors and publishers offer meet-and-greets or workshops, and the event boasts hundreds of stalls selling books. Morocco is the guest of honor at this year’s event.

Read more: French films and TV shows to watch in March

April 13: Paris Marathon. It is the second-largest in terms of overall finishers behind the New York marathon.

April 19: International Garden Festival opens in Chaumont-sur-Loire. 

Lasting six months, the festival sees around 30 gardeners and landscapers present ever-changing gardens based on a theme. This year’s edition is ‘Il était une fois au jardin’ (‘Once upon a time in the garden’).

April 25-27: Les Journées Romaines de Nîmes transforms the city into a living replica of the Roman Empire at its heyday. 

Several events will take place, including a ‘battle’ between Germanicus and barbarians in the city’s Roman-era arena. Up to 500 participants will take part.