Le Lavandou Flower parade February 2026La Londe Carnival February 13-17, 2026Bormes Flower parade February 14-15, 2026Cavalaire Mimosa Festival, February 2026Sainte-Maxime Mimosa Festival, February 2026Nice Carnival February 11 - March 1, 2026 "Vive la reine"92nd Lemon Festival in Menton "Merveilles du vivant" February 14 - March 1, 2026Mandelieu-La Napoule Mimosa festival February 11-15, 2026

Flower parade - Bormes-les-Mimosas - February 14-15, 2026

Nice Carnival "Vive la Reine" February 11 - March 1, 2026

92nd Lemon festival "Merveilles du vivant" in Menton - February 15 - March 1, 2026

Carnival : history and tradition

The flower carnival originates from Egypte and Greece. These countries coming from paganism used to celebrate respectively the Apis bull and the Bacchus bull, they were being immolated while people danced and were screaming of joy. Before that, a human victim replaced the bull. From 1420 the carnival consisted of a bull adorned of feather and dazzling objects and clothes, and a child, king of the butchers that was perched on its back. This practice was abolishes in 1790 and restored in 1805. After that, the king of the butchers was replaced by a float full of young girls wearing mythologycal ceremonials of Love (hence the Queen's float). Then the Corso got its inspiration from Italy with floats decorated by leaves and branches, pulled on the main street by participants allowed to make fun of the local key figures. From 1950 the corsos in the South became a tourist show with majorettes, bands, flower battles, paying stand, tractors, amusement rides... losing all their villager and religious roots....