Events from the year 1947 in France.

• President: Léon Blum (until 16 January), Vincent Auriol (starting 16 January)
• President of the Council of Ministers:
  • until 22 January: Léon Blum
  • 22 January – 24 November: Paul Ramadier
  • starting 24 November: Robert Schuman

• 16 January – Vincent Auriol is inaugurated as President of France.^[1]
• 10 February – Paris peace treaties are signed between the World War II Allies and Italy, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and Finland.
• 12 February – Christian Dior introduces The "New Look" in women's fashion, in Paris.
• 28 February – United States gives France a military base in Casablanca.
• 29 March – Malagasy Uprising: Nationalist "tribesmen" began a revolt in the eastern part of Madagascar against French rule.
• 6 May – Malagasy Uprising: In Moramanga, the French military machine-gun Mouvement démocratique de la rénovation malgache (MDRM) officials detained in wagons, killing 124 to 160 mostly unarmed activists.
• 11 July – SS Exodus departs France for Palestine with 4,500 Jewish Holocaust survivor refugees.^[2]
• 27 July – Ocean Liberty explodes in Brest harbour causing at least 26 deaths and extensive damage.
• July – Five North-African regiments arrive in Madagascar to assist in quelling the Malagasy Uprising.
• 27 August – Government lowering of the bread ration to 200 grammes causes riots in Verdun and Le Mans.
• 30 August – Fire at a cinema in Rueil, a suburb of Paris, kills 87.
• September – Festival d'Avignon first staged.
• 7 October – Operation Léa begins in Vietnam, an attempt by the French to crush the Viet Minh.
• 10 November – The arrest of four steel workers in Marseille begins a communist riot that spreads to Paris.
• 20 November – Paul Ramadier resigns as Prime Minister of France – he is succeeded by Robert Schuman. Schuman calls 80,000 reservists to quell rioting miners.
• 27 November – In Paris, police occupy the editorial offices of communist newspapers.
• 3 December – French communist strikers derail the Paris-Tourcoing express train because of false rumours that it is transporting soldiers – 21 dead.
• 4 December – Interior minister Jules Moch secures emergency measures against riots after six days of violent arguments in the National Assembly of France.
• 9 December – Labour unions call off the general strike and begin negotiations with the French government.
• 22 December – Operation Lea ends with a tactical success for the French forces.

• 25 June – Tour de France begins.
• 20 July – Tour de France ends, won by Jean Robic.

• 1 January – F. R. David, musician
• 16 January – Juliet Berto, actress (died 1990)
• 17 January – Alain Payet, adult film director (died 2007)
• 31 January – Bernard Guignedoux, football player and manager (died 2021)
• 25 February – Marc Sautet, philosopher and writer (died 1998)
• 1 April – Alain Connes, mathematician
• 4 April – Jacques Frantz, actor (died 2021)
• 13 April – Jean-Jacques Laffont, economist (died 2004)
• 15 June – Alain Aspect, quantum physicist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physics^[3]
• 4 July – Jacques Morali, music producer (died 1991)
• 10 July – Michel Étiévent, journalist, historian and writer (died 2021)
• 24 July – Jacques Fouroux, international rugby union player, coach (died 2005)
• 30 July – Françoise Barré-Sinoussi, virologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine*2 *2 August – Marie-Laure de Decker, photographer (died 2023)
• 3 September – Gérard Houllier, football manager (died 2020)
• 20 September – Patrick Poivre d'Arvor, television news presenter
• 28 September – Bernard Charvin, alpine skier
• 9 October – France Gall, singer (died 2018)
• 28 November – Michel Berger, singer and songwriter (died 1992)
• 2 December – Isaac Bitton, drummer

• 23 January – Pierre Bonnard, painter and printmaker (born 1867)
• 19 February – Pierre Besnard, revolutionary syndicalist (born 1886)
• 15 March – Jean-Richard Bloch, critic, novelist and playwright (born 1884)
• 13 April – Jean Chassagne, racing driver (born 1881)
• 14 June – Albert Marquet, painter (born 1875)
• 21 September – Marcel Astier, politician (born 1885)
• 24 November – Léon-Paul Fargue, poet and essayist (born 1876)
• 7 December – Tristan Bernard, playwright, novelist, journalist and lawyer (born 1866)

• List of French films of 1947