the violet festival is back on the Place du Capitole
The tradition is well anchored in Toulouse. This weekend, the Capitol Square will celebrate her favorite flower, the violet. For two days, visitors could then discover everything about the city’s emblematic flower. Perfume, decoration, food… The violet a lot more charms than you might think.
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Two days of celebration
It’s a tradition that comes back every year when the first violets start to bloom. Thus, the violet festival is back on the Capitol Square. Saturday and Sunday, many activities will revolve around the theme of the event. Visitors could then stroll through the square and discover:
- the market with about fifteen producers. The latter will present all their know-how around the violet: plants, cosmetics, decoration, food including the essential candies with the violet of Toulouse;
- Of the stalls presentation of the Toulouse violet by the municipal greenhouses;
- UN workshop repotting violet plants, all to learn how to cultivate this delicate flower;
- And one entertainment booth for kids.
The emblematic flower of Toulouse
The story goes back, according to historians, to the 19th century. It’s actually a love story which is told: Toulouse under the spell of this purple, white and yellow flower. From the beginning of the 20th century, more than 600 producers cultivated it, and more particularly in the market gardening districts north of Toulouse.
This flower could have disappeared from Toulouse’s heritage after a series of harsh winters in the 1950s. It was scientists who saved it a few decades later. The municipal greenhouse Toulouse is then of great support perform for this rescue. A whole conservatory is reserved for the violet. Thanks to this preservation, around 2,000 pots of violets are produced in the greenhouses each year for the city’s gardens and beds.
The event is open to the public from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday February 4 and Sunday February 5, 2023. Admission is free for everyone.
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