Day 3175 (Monday) 16th February 2026

We had a very busy day today, what with the Battle of the Flowers and a Zoom lesson with Bertran I haven’t written anything today so I will post my photos of the Battle tomorrow. In the meantime, here’s What’s happening in France this week. The Local France

France host Italy in Lille. (Photo by Andreas SOLARO / AFP)

Key dates in two religious calendars, MPs reopen the assisted dying debate, and Shein is set to open at five more BHV stores in France.

Monday

Right to die — MPs in France’s National Assembly reopen the debate on bills that focus on end of life palliative care and assisted dying. The latter was rejected in the Senate last month.

Tuesday 

Macron — The French president will set off on an official visit to India.

Courts — The Appeals court is to rule on the compensation claim of more than 1,200 Nicaraguans who were victims of pesticide.

Strike — School staff in Île-de-France are set to strike in protest at the allocation of resources for the start of the 2026 school year and the announced job cuts. School closures at collèges and lycées in the region.

Champions League — Monaco host defending champions Paris Saint-Germain in the big play-off round first-leg match for French Ligue 1 fans of the Champions League.

Wednesday 

Religion — The Muslim holy month of Ramadan begins, coinciding with Ash Wednesday for Catholics, which marks the beginning of Lent.

Consumer — Chinese retailer Shein is set to open permanent concessions in BHV stores in Dijon, Reims, Grenoble, Angers and Limoges.

Friday 

School holidays — Pupils at schools in Zone C, including those in the Paris region and Toulouse, will break up for their winter holidays after classes. Those in Zone B (Aix-Marseille, Lille, Nantes, Rennes, Strasbourg, Amiens, Normandie, Nancy-Metz, Nice, Orléans-Tours and Reims), who broke up last week, enter the second week of their two-week break, while those at schools in Zone A ((Besançon, Bordeaux, Clermont-Ferrand, Dijon, Grenoble, Limoges, Lyon and Poitiers) will return to classes on Monday.

Saturday 

Farm show — France’s annual Salon de l'Agriculture will take place from February 21st to March 1st, held in Paris at Porte de Versailles. Due to outbreaks of the highly contagious cattle virus Lumpy Skin Disease (dermatose nodulaire contagieuse) in France, the cattle classes will not take place.

Bike festival — For its 39th edition, the international bicycle travel festival sets up in Angers, at the edge of the Loire Valley, on February 21st and 22nd. This includes two days of films, workshops, meetings, and stories for those who travel by bicycle, dream of setting off, or are simply looking for concrete ideas to get started. 

Sunday 

Rugby — France host Italy at Lille’s Stade Pierre-Mauroy in the third round of the 2026 men’s Six Nations, with the match scheduled to kick off at 4.10pm. For rugby fans, England host Ireland, and Wales entertain Scotland on Saturday afternoon.

Winter Olympics — It’s the final day of the Winter Olympics in Italy. At the closing ceremony in Verona, the Olympic flag will be handed to representatives of the 2030 Games, which will be held in France.

Today is the Battle of the Flowers in Villefranche – it’s one of the best days of the year.

Flower Sea Battle in Villefranche-sur-Mer February 16th

Flower Sea Battle or Combat Naval Fleuri is a carnival of flowers both on land and sea on the harbour promenade in Villefranche-sur-Mer. Held every year in mid-February to celebrate the arrival of spring, thousands of carnations and mimosas colour the town red and yellow.

Pointus boat and the “fishermen” in traditional costume – ©Ville de Villefranche-sur-Mer

The story behind Combat Naval Fleuri

This event has been taking place in Villefranche-sur-Mer since 1902. It is inspired by the first carnival festivals on the Côte d’Azur.

The first battle of flowers in Nice took place on the Promenade des Anglais in 1876, and other cities on the coast developed similar local events to celebrate the coming of spring.

Villefranche-sur-Mer didn’t want to be left behind the other towns and decided to do it better and differently. With the sea and flowers as the natural elements and symbols of economic activity of the time, we were to witness for the very first time a battle of flowers on the waves of the Mediterranean.

In 2026, the Flower Sea Battle will be held on February 16th.

The flower-decorated pointus boats

Every year, many Villefranche families come with their pointus boats to perpetuate this more than century-old festival. The “fishermen” are dressed in traditional Provençal fishing attire and the boats will pass near the harbour quay during a spectacular, booming sea battle.

Pointus are small, old fishing boats that are now part of France’s cultural heritage, maintained with loving care and traditional know-how. They evoke happy childhood memories for some and flashbacks of memorable fishing trips for others.

Pointus boats are passed down from generation to generation as a reminder of a unique fishing culture. And although they are no longer used for their primary vocation, fishing, they have become a formidable tool to convey the soul of the Mediterranean.

Come to Villefranche-sur-Mer and experience the colourful decoration of the boats and creative decorations with carnations and mimosas, the natural flowers of the region.

Combat Naval Fleuri is the perfect opportunity to show Riviera residents and tourists these boats that are part of the Mediterranean heritage.

Combat Naval Fleuri programme

The day offers entertainment from 10am to 4pm with folklore groups and a musical show around the citadel in Villefranche-sur-mer as well as a flower walk in the city.

The main programme looks like this:

11:00 am – Folklore activities – Place Amélie Pollonnais.

1:30 pm – Carnival parade on the quay – Port de la Santé.

2:00 pm – Sea battle begins and fishermen throw flowers at the spectators – Port de la Santé.