Observance guideSource-backed

Fête de l’Évacuation2026 · Date · History · Messages

Tunisia’s Presidential Decree No. 2021-223 lists Fête de l’Évacuation on 15 October as a one-day holiday for specified public-sector personnel and supersedes contrary earlier provisions including Decree 2011-317; institutional history anchors the date to the 1963 evacuation.

Annual dateReviewed 2026-09-25Sensitive topic

About Fête de l’Évacuation

Tunisia marks Fête de l’Évacuation on 15 October, commemorating the completion of the French military evacuation in 1963.

Current Tunisian public-sector holiday rules list 15 October as a one-day holiday for personnel of the state, local authorities and public administrative establishments.

Why Fête de l’Évacuation matters

The day is a national-history commemoration tied to sovereignty and the end of the French military presence at Bizerte.

Historical coverage should distinguish the 1963 event from present-day political advocacy, and legal descriptions should state exactly which workers are covered by the cited decree.

History of Fête de l’Évacuation

The final French military evacuation was completed on 15 October 1963, after the Bizerte crisis and subsequent negotiations.

Decree No. 2011-317 included Fête de l’Évacuation in the public-sector holiday schedule.

Presidential Decree No. 2021-223, dated 7 December 2021 and currently in force in the reviewed legal database, lists Fête de l’Évacuation on 15 October and repeals contrary earlier provisions including the 2011 decree.

Current official commemorations continue to mark the anniversary in Bizerte and nationally.

Institutional timeline

How the observance developed

This timeline uses documented milestones from reviewed sources. Missing stages are left out rather than guessed.

Recognition26 March 2011
Included Fête de l’Évacuation in the public-sector holiday schedule.
Government of Tunisia · Decree No. 2011-317 of 26 March 2011
Superseding Instrument7 December 2021
Lists Fête de l’Évacuation on 15 October for specified public-sector personnel and repeals contrary earlier provisions, expressly including Decree No. 2011-317.
President of the Republic of Tunisia · Presidential Decree No. 2021-223
Current stewardshipCurrent
Tunisian public institutions
Current official commemorations and legal holiday administration are carried by state/public institutions; no single exclusive private organizer is asserted.

Origins & establishment

What the evidence establishes

Evidence & sources ↓

Confirmed institutional roles and milestones are shown first. Details that could not be established from the reviewed sources are listed separately below.

Current facilitator / coordinatorTunisian public institutionsCurrent official commemorations and legal holiday administration are carried by state/public institutions; no single exclusive private organizer is asserted.

Why this exact date?15 October commemorates the completion of the French military evacuation on 15 October 1963.Institutional historical reporting and archival material identify 15 October 1963 as the completion date.

7 fields not established in reviewed sources

Originator / proposerNo individual originator of the recurring national commemoration is established in the reviewed sources.

Proclaiming / establishing bodyCurrent and earlier public-sector holiday decrees are verified, but the reviewed sources do not isolate the original action that first created the recurring national observance.

Original establishing instrument / decisionPresidential Decree No. 2021-223 is the current public-sector holiday framework, not evidence of the original creation of the observance.

Original instrument adoption / decision dateBecause the original establishing instrument is not identified, no original adoption date is asserted.

First observanceThe first recurring commemoration following the 1963 evacuation is not established in the reviewed sources.

Former nameNo former formal name is established.

Former dateNo former recurring date is established.

Later institutional actions

Later recognition, renaming, mergers or date changes are kept separate from original establishment.

RecognitionIncluded Fête de l’Évacuation in the public-sector holiday schedule.Government of Tunisia · Decree No. 2011-317 of 26 March 2011 · 26 March 2011Referenced in the current 2021 decree and government holiday material.

Superseding InstrumentLists Fête de l’Évacuation on 15 October for specified public-sector personnel and repeals contrary earlier provisions, expressly including Decree No. 2011-317.President of the Republic of Tunisia · Presidential Decree No. 2021-223 · 7 December 2021Current legal text, Article 1 and Article 2.

Source qualityHigh confidence

2 Primary institutional / legal2 Supporting context

View all sources ↓

Names

Also known as

Evacuation Day Tunisia

How to Observe Fête de l’Évacuation

Use archival, legal and institutional sources when explaining the 1963 evacuation and Bizerte context.

Avoid turning historical commemoration into advocacy about current Tunisian parties or leaders.

For leave or closure questions, note that the reviewed 2021 decree explicitly covers state, local-authority and public administrative-establishment personnel; do not automatically extend that rule to every private employer.

When discussing colonial history, use precise language about institutions, events and dates rather than assigning collective responsibility to people today.

Fête de l’Évacuation Facts

Fact 01

Fête de l’Évacuation is on 15 October.

Fact 02

The commemorated evacuation milestone occurred on 15 October 1963.

Fact 03

Presidential Decree No. 2021-223 lists the day in the public-sector holiday schedule and supersedes contrary earlier rules including Decree 2011-317.

Fact 04

The legal leave provision cited here has a defined public-sector scope and is not generalized to every private workplace.

Fête de l’Évacuation Messages

Remembering a major milestone in Tunisia’s twentieth-century national history.

May the commemoration encourage informed reflection on Tunisia’s history and sovereignty.

Classification

Topic and context

Civic, Remembrance & History →

Civic, Remembrance & History Civic Public Life

Accuracy notes

What this page does not assume

Keep the source-defined country, community, organizer or institutional scope; do not silently broaden it.
Do not treat the title alone as proof of government recognition or public-holiday status.
Do not add a creator, founding story or origin claim unless the supporting evidence establishes it.
Remembrance Civic Context Care.

Evidence

Evidence & sources

Source policy →

Sources used across the guide are gathered here. Labels show how each source supports the page, and contextual references are kept separate from primary evidence.

Source 01

Tunisia Government — public-holiday information

Primary institutional / legal

Source 02

Tunisia Legal Databases — Presidential Decree No. 2021-223

Primary institutional / legal

Source 03www.tap.info.tn

Tunis Afrique Presse — current commemoration (opens in a new tab)

Observance recordGuide sources

State News Agency

Source 04fr.tunisie.gov.tn

Tunisia Government — public-holiday information (opens in a new tab)

Observance recordGuide sources

Government

Source 05legislation-securite.tn

Tunisia Legal Databases — Presidential Decree No. 2021-223 (opens in a new tab)

Observance recordGuide sources

Legal Database

Source 06digitallibrary.un.org

United Nations Digital Library — 1963 correspondence documenting completion of evacuation on 15 October 1963 (opens in a new tab)

Guide sources

Source 07

Tunis Afrique Presse — current commemoration

Supporting context

Source 08

United Nations Digital Library — 1963 historical record

Supporting context

Questions & connections

Understand it, compare it, then explore further

Start with the most common factual questions, then compare closely related observances and explore useful connections.

Reader questions

Frequently asked questions

When is Fête de l’Évacuation?

15 October annually The documented recurrence rule is: 15 October.

Does Fête de l’Évacuation fall on the same date every year?

Yes. It uses a fixed annual date unless stronger evidence changes the pattern.

Is Fête de l’Évacuation an official public holiday?

Within the reviewed scope, it is identified as Tunisia statutory public-holiday and national-history context. That status is not automatically extended to other countries or jurisdictions.

Who established or recognizes Fête de l’Évacuation?

The documented basis is: Tunisia’s Presidential Decree No. 2021-223 lists Fête de l’Évacuation on 15 October as a one-day holiday for specified public-sector personnel and supersedes contrary earlier provisions including Decree 2011-317; institutional history anchors the date to the 1963 evacuation.. Supporting evidence includes Tunisia Legal Databases — Presidential Decree No. 2021-223. The site does not infer a separate creator or founder unless reviewed evidence establishes one.

Is Fête de l’Évacuation international or country-specific?

No single country is assigned to this observance. Its documented scope is: Tunisia statutory public-holiday and national-history context. Use that scope rather than assuming worldwide or country-specific status.

How is this page verified?

The factual information is checked against reviewed sources, including the date pattern, scope and institutional history. This page was checked on 2026-09-25.

When is Tunisia’s Fête de l’Évacuation?

It is observed on 15 October.

What does the day commemorate?

It commemorates the completion of the French military evacuation from Tunisia on 15 October 1963.

What is the current legal holiday source reviewed here?

Presidential Decree No. 2021-223 of 7 December 2021 lists Fête de l’Évacuation on 15 October for specified public-sector personnel.

Does that decree automatically make every private workplace close?

No. The cited decree has a defined public-sector scope; private-sector obligations should be checked under the law and agreements that actually apply.

Same date