Spring has sprung with the launch of the annual Côte d’Azur Garden Festival. Here’s where to find Monaco’s two spectacular entries as well as a special non-competition creation from the government.  

As the days grow longer and warmer, signs of spring are everywhere, most notably in the arrival of a glorious array of seasonal flowers. To celebrate this return, the Côte d’Azur Garden Festival is holding its fourth edition, from 25th March to 1st May, which showcases the beauty and bounty of spring in towns and cities right along the Riviera.  

“Surprising Perspectives”

A visit to the Terraces of the Casino on the Hotel Fairmont side will give the public a chance to enjoy a series of stunning installations relating to this year’s “Surprising Perspectives” theme.  

The Principality has two competition gardens in the running: the first creation is by French duo Sarah Houlbert and Julien Thirion, and it is called “The Pier”, while the second, entitled “Fire: The Surprising Gardener” has been designed by Amber Myers and Studio Fish & Pot from the Netherlands and South Africa respectively. 

The government has also taken part in the out-of-competition category with “A Question of Point of View” by Timothée Roche, a draftsman-designer at the Department of Urban Planning’s design office. 

Public fun day

To highlight the botanical offerings of the region, a special event will be taking place on-site on 1st April from 10am to 5pm. Called “Discovering Our Botanical and Artistic Heritage”, there will be family-friendly activities such as a treasure hunt in a plant maze, a giant memory game and various creative workshops.  

Nice, Cannes, Cap d’Ail, Menton, Antibes and more are also involved, with a total of 17 gardens “in competition”. There are an additional 14 designs outside the competition to be enjoyed over the 38 days of the event.  

“This floral firework display will definitely be worth a look,” said Charles Ange Ginésy, President of the Department of the Alpes-Maritimes. “It will be the showcase of our territory and the know-how of our professionals. It will also be an opportunity to raise everyone’s awareness of environmentally friendly practices.”  

Each year, the festival and its gardens attract an estimated 400,000 visitors. For the full Côte d’Azur Garden Festival programme, please click here.

Do you have an event in Monaco or the French Riviera that you would like us to include in our What’s On section and events calendar? Please email editor@monacolife.net.  

Photo source: Yoksel Zok for Unsplash. This article was originally published on 27th March.