The Carnival of Nice, the Lemon Festival or the Corso in Bloom... Festive, artistic or contemplative events bring the winter season to life on the Côte d'Azur. It's also a time to take advantage of the mild temperatures, fewer tourists and invigorating light... Mark your calendar!
The most festive: Nice Carnival
Nice, France
From 15 February to 2 March 2025
Mimosa, daisies, carnations, roses, lilies thrown to the public... The battle of flowers is a highlight of the Nice Carnival and a nod to the city's horticultural history. The biggest festival on the Côte d'Azur also has its own carnival corso (parade), with floats competing in creativity and parading dizzying figures some twenty metres high. Finally, five illuminated corsos sparkle on the Promenade des Anglais during magical evenings. The last is marked by the cremation of the King of Carnival. The theme of the 2025 edition will be ‘King of the Oceans’.
The most dazzling: Menton Lemon Festival
From 15 February to 2 March 2025
The Menton Lemon Festival programme includes floats adorned with masterly citrus compositions and animated by groups - parading along the Promenade du Soleil, day and night during the night corsos, exhibitions of orange and lemon motifs in the Biovès gardens, floral exhibitions with the Orchid Festival to be discovered at the Palais de l'Europe, street entertainment... For 15 days, the town celebrates its golden fruit with a zest of madness. The gardens and hills of Menton and the mild winters offer a unique terroir of sweet, mild lemons, protected by an IGP label, that you'll want to bite into. And it's perfect timing: the festivities take place at the height of the citrus season, giving you the chance to visit a citrus grove or stroll through the town's Jardins Remarquables (Maria Serena, Fontana Rosa or Val Rahmeh). The theme of the 91st Lemon Festival will be ‘Journeys to the stars’.
The sportiest: Trail des Merveilles
1 and 2 March 2025
The Roya valley in the hinterland of Menton is carved out of olive groves and forests of stone pine and larch. This is the backdrop to the Trail des Merveilles, starting in Breil-sur-Roya. Over a course of around 30 kilometres, with a positive altitude difference of 2,000 metres, the race takes participants along wild trails with views of the snow-capped peaks of the Mercantour National Park and the Mediterranean Sea. A shorter, more accessible 19-kilometre route will delight lovers of running and beautiful scenery. On your marks, get set, go!
The most flowery: corsos on the Mimosa Route
Mandelieu-la-Napoule, France
February 2026 (dates to be confirmed)
From Bormes-Les-Mimosas to Grasse, via Sainte-Maxime, Mandelieu-La Napoule and Tanneron, the Route du mimosa covers 130km of wilderness and coastal towns, with flower stops and festivities in honour of a flower that has become the emblem of the Côte d'Azur. Here, you'll be in tune with the yellow pompons that light up the countryside, delight the eye and perfume the air. It's the perfect opportunity to discover hilltop villages, waterfront gardens and the floral floats of the corsos. A colourful and festive interlude in the heart of winter... heralding the imminent arrival of spring.
The most graceful: the Cannes dance festival
Cannes, France
Late November/early December 2027
From romantic ballet to hip-hop, the Festival de danse - Cannes Côte d'Azur France offers an eclectic programme to satisfy both aficionados and those curious about the art of choreography. Organised every two years, the event grows in size with each edition. Around thirty performances take place in Cannes, Nice, Antibes, Mougins, Grasse, Fréjus and Draguignan, led by innovative international choreographers.
By Charlotte Cabon
Journaliste
