Grasse is preparing for the 80th edition of its Fête du Jasmin, running from Friday, July 31 to Sunday, August 2, the perfume capital's best known celebration of the small white flower that built its global reputation.
Running since 1946, the festival marks the height of summer with three days of programming built around Jasminum grandiflorum, cultivated in the hills around Grasse since the mid-19th century. Friday opens with a market exhibition and a dance evening led by DJ Fred Rebuffo, closing with fireworks over the Jardin des Plantes. Saturday brings a flower market, street performances through the historic centre, a concert from local group Cassonade, and the festival's signature moment: the corso fleuri, a parade of flower-covered floats through Cours Honoré Cresp and Boulevard du Jeu de Ballon, where Grasse's firefighters douse the crowd in jasmine-scented water during the flower battle.
Sunday closes the festival with a traditional Provençal mass in the Jardins de la Princesse Pauline, a giant communal picnic in the Jardin des Plantes complete with food trucks and music, and the Mondial Parfumé de Boules Carrées, a pétanque-style tournament open to all with free registration on site.