What’s On In France In February

Then you'll need to know what's on in France in February, and there's a lot happening.  Everything kicks into gear in February. January is just a blur as we regather after Christmas and New Year, and February is when life comes back together and finally hits a regular rhythm. 

February in France is a cold month but spring is on the horizon and winter doesn’t hold people back from some serious celebrations and carnival spirit. From Mardi Gras to Chinese New Year, February offers a host of events you can’t miss if you’re in France in February. Of course we couldn’t talk about France in February without mentioning Valentine's Day! Below we’ll have a look at how you could spend Valentines in Paris, la ville l'amor.

The dates of the Mardi Gras in Nice, also known as the Nice Carnival, change every year because it's connected to Easter. Mardi Gras is French for Fat Tuesday and refers to events that take place as part of the celebration period before the Season of Lent.  It is called mardi gras because it is a time of feasting on fatty foods before ritually fasting during lent.

The Mardi Gras celebration Carnival de Nice can trace it’s origins back to the Middle Ages. Carnival de Nice is one of the biggest and most spectacular Mardi Gras festivals in France.

The 2019 Carnival de Nice dates are 16 February to 3 March. The theme for 2019 is ‘King of Cinema’; this year Nice celebrates the centenary of the Victorine Studios, “the Mecca of the film industry on the Côte d'Azur” and the Hollywood of the French Riviera.

The Carnival de Nice in 2019 will feature 6 carnival parades, some during the day and others at night, made up of 17 floats, and more than 1000 dancers and musicians from all around the world. Attending this mardi gras carnival in Nice is a once in a life-time experience. 

Marvel at the flower parades, the carnival parades, and the light parades!

In the far south-eastern corner of France, next to the Italian border, lies Menton. Half an hour’s drive from Nice, Menton is a town on the French Riviera and home to the F​​ê​​​te du Citron. 

The Lemon Festival began in 1933 as a fruit show and has grown into an international event drawing 160,000 visitors annually. The second largest event on the French Riviera after the Carnival de Nice, the Fête du Citron finds itself ranked higher than the Formula 1 Grand Prix of Monte Carlo!

Last year’s theme was Bollywood and featured striking Indian recreations in bright yellow and orange hues. The theme for 2019 is des Mondes Fantastiques (Fantastic worlds). 

The long and narrow Biovès Gardens are walled off for the event and feature an impressive display of large wire-framed structures and sculptures built from thousands of citrus fruit (lemons, grapefruit and oranges).

Paris’ Chinatown erupts into festivities on Chinese New Year filling the streets with music, dance, parade performances, and delicious food.

On 17 February 2019 more than 200,000 people will flood the 13th arrondissement Chinatown, to celebrate the Year of the Pig. People come from all around the world to experience France’s biggest Chinese New Year Festival.

Chinese New Year officially begins on 5 February and celebrations follow in the weeks to come. The main parade on 17 February will start near Metro Gobelins and kick off at approximately 1:30 pm. If you’re in Paris around this time don’t miss out on this spectacular event featuring elaborate decorations of red lanterns, grinning dragons, lions, tigers, and bright orange fish. Not to mention the fireworks! Experience Chinese culture and other Asian traditions like never before!

We could hardly talk about the month of February in France without talking about Valentine's Day. From the 8 to 17 February the city of Strasbourg, sitting near the border of France and Germany, hosts a week long romantic event: Strasbourg Mon Amour.

All around the city are dinner events, shows, concerts, dances, pop-up bars, specialized museum tours, exhibitions, film screenings, light shows, and child minding. The city lights up to celebrate romance and relationship. The festival attracts up to 20,000 visitors.

Alternatively, want to know what happens in Paris on Valentine's Day? See our 5 Top Ideas for Valentines Day in Paris post for a shortlist of things to do in Paris. The options are endless for great romantic adventures in Paris on 14 February: dinner and a show in Montmartre, a river cruise on the Seine, or take in the city-scape at night from the Eiffel Tower.

Have you spent Valentines in Paris before? Is there anything you would recommend to our other lovely readers looking to enjoy Valentine's Day in Paris?

As we have seen February is a thriving month in France with many festivals to choose from. Don’t miss the once in a lifetime experience of a Mardi Gras parade in Nice, Chinese New Year in Paris, or Valentines in Strasbourg.

Who would have guessed a lemon festival could be bigger than the Formula 1 Grand Prix! Have you spent February in France in the past? Consider the second month of the year for your next trip to France. Put off getting back into routine in February and go on holidays instead!