Thanks to its assets and in parallel with its protection and enhancement actions undertaken in the gardens of the Jardival project, the Alpes-Maritimes department will launch, in Spring 2017, its first “French Riviera’s Garden Festival”, which is a new and major event about gardens to take place in several locations in the department.

The idea is to enhance gardens both as a place where the gentle way of living and the awakening of senses can be revealed and as an answer to adapt to the urbanisation, pollution, and climate change. The green city is in the limelight during this festival.

Besides, this event is also aimed at letting this parks and gardens’ heritage be discovered by as many people as possible and enhancing the know-how of the landscape and horticulture professionals.

This festival is divided into two parts: the “IN” part which refers to a competition to create short-lived and touristic gardens, and the “OFF” part which refers to the visit of gardens and activities, as well as the creation of touristic products in collaboration with the Côte d’Azur’s Tourism Committee.

The festival will take place in Nice, Cannes, Grasse, Antibes and Menton, for the public exhibition of the short-lived gardens, as well as in other shore cities, the villages in the middle and upper country, Monaco and other cities in Liguria, which are partners to the “Jardival” project, for the activities part, in association with the tourist information offices and surrounding touristic sites.

A flourishing theme: “The awakening of the senses”

On the French Riviera, all senses are attracted: by the flowers’ perfume in Grasse, the citrus’ essence in Menton, the cicada’s warbling, the waves’ backwash, the fragrances of the Mediterranean plants, and even the beauty of the landscapes. Revisiting the French Riviera’s codes into a short-lived garden offers endless possibilities.

The short-lived gardens will be exhibited to the public during the whole month of April 2017, i.e. at the beginning of spring, which is a florescence period during which flowers blossom, days last longer, the sun is shining again… The applicants will be able to play with the awakening of nature, suggest, reconnect the visitors to their environment.

The applicants will be able to choose to highlight the assets of a territory in revisiting them, in making original creations using well-known ingredients. They will also be able to choose to mix beauty and usefulness by suggesting the role gardens play in relation to wellness: gardens heal, appease, provide food, favour meetings…