Help with dynamic memory allocation

Code:

#include <cstdio>
#include <cstdlib>
#include <iomanip>
using namespace std;

const int MaxHolidays = 25;
const int MaxDescLength = 40;
const char HOLIDAY_FILE[] = "holidays.txt";

struct holidayStruct {
    int holidayId;
    char description[MaxDescLength+1];
    int month;
    int day;
    double cost;
};

holidayStruct *
readHoliday(FILE* holidayfile)
{
    int id;
    holidayStruct *holidayPtr;
    
    holidayfile = fopen ("holidayFile.txt", "r");
    if (holidayfile!=NULL) {
        holidayPtr = new holidayStruct;
        if (!holidayPtr) {
            printf("Critical Error: Failure to allocate memory in \n");
            printf("readHoliday() function.\n");
            printf("Contact your holiday management program team to resolve\n");
            printf("this problem."); 
            exit(1);
        } 
        holidayPtr->holidayId = id;
        
        fscanf(holidayfile, "%d %d %f" , holidayPtr->month, holidayPtr->day, holidayPtr->cost);
        //fclose(inFile);
        fgets(holidayPtr->description, MaxDescLength+1, holidayfile);
        return (holidayPtr);
    } else return NULL;
}

int
main()
{
    holidayStruct *items[MaxHolidays];
    

    int i;                // general loop counter
    int itemCount;       // current number of items
    FILE* inputFile;

    inputFile = fopen(HOLIDAY_FILE, "r");
    if (inputFile==NULL)
    {
         printf("Holiday file %s %s",(HOLIDAY_FILE) , " could not be opened."  );
             
        getchar();
        exit(1);
    }

    //reading from the file
    itemCount = 0;
    while (itemCount < MaxHolidays
         &&(items[itemCount] = readHoliday(inputFile)))
        
        ++itemCount;
    printf("%d %s" ,itemCount, " holidays read in.\n");

This compiles, but doesn't go through the while loop. The print statement is as follows:
o holidays read in.
here is a sample input file:
20 5 10 10.50 Tony's Birthday
11 2 10 50.00 Happy Day
6 2 16 5.00 Washington's Birthday
8 3 2 25.45 Skinned knee day
9 12 10 20.01 Last day of school

Please help me!

remove
holidayfile = fopen ("holidayFile.txt", "r");
from the readHoliday function

also fscanf awaits the pointers to variables, add & where needed

That looks like a cross between a C and a C++ program . . . .

Also, closing a file once you're done with it via fclose() is a good idea.