Which French phrase names the festive New Year's Eve dinner traditionally held on December 31?

The festive French New Year’s Eve dinner traditionally held on December 31 is called Réveillon de la Saint-Sylvestre.

Réveillon is a long, celebratory meal associated with Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. The New Year’s version takes its fuller name from Saint Sylvester’s Day, which falls on December 31 in the Western Christian calendar. Families, friends, restaurants, and hotels may mark the occasion with multiple courses and late-night celebrations.

Menus vary widely by region and household. Seafood, oysters, foie gras, champagne, and elaborate desserts are commonly associated with formal French celebrations, but no single menu is required. In France, people also exchange wishes of “Bonne année” as the new year begins.

Réveillon should not be confused with the galette des rois, a pastry traditionally associated with Epiphany in January. The word réveillon can also refer to the Christmas Eve meal, so the Saint-Sylvestre wording identifies the New Year’s occasion specifically.