Bormes les Mimosas – Corso Fleuri and Flower Festival

“On the hillside where the mimosas bloom,” people used to say when they spoke of the small town of Bormes at the foot of the Massif des Maures. And so, in 1968, Bormes was renamed Bormes-les-Mimosas and named the starting point of the 130-kilometre Route du Mimosa. Last week, we went on a journey of discovery along this tourist route dedicated to the yellow flowering mimosas. The mimosa is actually not an endemic plant of the southern French coast. Captain Cook brought the acacia plant from Australia to Europe in the 19th century. And since they felt right at home on the sun-drenched slopes between Nice and Hyères and spread quickly, they soon made a significant contribution to the development of the local cosmetics industry. At the beginning of the 20th century, the economic importance of wild mimosas (which is not universally welcomed today due to its invasive nature) was so important that festivals were held in its honour. These flower parades take place during the flowering period between the end of February and the beginning of March in various villages along the Route du Mimosa – and we were lucky enough to arrive in Bormes-les-Mimosas in time for the 79th Corso Fleuri.

Idyll in Bormes-les-Mimosas

We started our Route du Mimosa road trip in Grasse and experienced the Corso Fleuri as a brilliant final bouquet in Bormes-les-Mimosas. And even if there is no flower parade on the other 51 weekends of the year, the idyllic town is worth a visit. Vieux Bormes has all the ingredients you need for a photogenic, charming coastal town in the south of France: winding alleys, viewpoints with sea views, brightly painted houses, fragrant mandarin trees and a flowering shrub on every corner.

Corso Fleuri – a village upside down

For 79 years, the inhabitants of Bormes-les-Mimosas have celebrated spring with a parade of elaborately decorated flower floats. The subjects of the individual floats are top secret and will only be revealed during the parade. As an exception, we were allowed to take a look behind the scenes the day before and look over the shoulders of the clubs (fishing club, tennis club…) during the intensive preparation work. With mimosas and cut flowers, loader wagons are transformed into works of art under the expert guidance of long-standing “Corso Fleuri veterans”. The choice of the subject is part of several intensive discussions at the regulars’ table, as the head of the fishing association “Pointe du Gouronne” tells us. Shortly before 5:00 p.m., the work is still underway and we are curious to see what the result will look like in less than 24 hours.

If you visit Bormes-les-Mimosas on the Corso-Fleuri weekend, you will experience the town in a state of emergency. Already in the morning, the core will be closed to car traffic. A shuttle brings the streams of visitors from the large car parks to the centre. We also take advantage of the offer and stand in line for about 30 minutes shortly after 10 a.m. to get a shuttle seat. In the center, the crowds are well dispersed. We pass the time until the move with an extended foray through the alleys. The starting signal for Corso Fleuri will be given at 2:30 pm. After that, the parade goes up and down the main road four times. Between the individual floats there is musical and dance entertainment. A kind of carnival parade, accompanied by a speaker and followed by voting for the most beautiful float. This year’s Audience Award went to car no. 14 with the theme “Spain”. In any case, an absolutely worth seeing spectacle!

Und wem – wie uns – nach all dem Trubel der Magen knurrt, der findet im Restaurant Le Jardin den perfekten Platz, um den Tag mit dem passenden Menü auszuklingen. Das Gastgeberpaar Juliette und Loïc tischt mitten in Bormes saisonal inspirierte lokale Gourmetküche auf. Uns hat es von A bis Z geschmeckt. Extrapunkte gibt es gemäss Freund für das lauwarme hausgemachte Schoggiküchlein: Genauso sollte es sein!

Hinweis: Unsere Reise entlang der Route du Mimosa wurde von Atout France, dem Comité Régional de Tourisme Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, Visit Var sowie dem lokalen Partner Bormes-les-Mimosas Tourismus unterstützt.