Blog | HPRG Honey Festival at the Jardin du Luxembourg, 20th & 21st September 2008 – Hotels Paris Rive Gauche Blog

Honey Festival at the Jardin du Luxembourg, 20th & 21st September 2008

You know we love bees, and you know that many of our hotels are just by the Jardin du Luxembourg, so how could we possibly miss this?!

photos: JasonW


Yes, you probably know by now that we have a beehive on the roof of the Eiffel Park Hôtel (and if you didn’t you can catch up here), but perhaps you didn’t know that the initial idea came from seeing bees in the Jardin du Luxembourg?

The Société Centrale d’Apiculture (Central Beekeeping Society) is the oldest of its type in France, the second oldest in the world no less, founded in 1856, initially in order to stamp out the practice of suffocating bees in order to harvest their honey (forbidden by law since 1941). They now organise lessons in beekeeping that anyone is free to subscribe to, and look after the Honey Festival that is held each year in September. If you don’t know much about how bees survive in an urban environment (surprisingly well actually), why not go down, check out the exhibition, see how the honey is harvested and even buy some!

The second part of the Festival will be held a fortnight later, 4th & 5th October at the Parc Georges Brassens in the 15th arrondissement, with special events around the hives and a honey stand. Let’s be honest; taking home a pot of Paris honey is a lot more original than a plastic Eiffel Tower…

The Fête du Miel is at the Jardin du Luxembourg on 20th & 21st September 2008, from 10am to 5pm, and at the Parc Georges Brassens on 4th & 5th October 2008, from 10am – midday and 2pm – 5pm.


Bigger map here

Bonus! The trailer for The Secret Life of Bees! Not strictly bee-related, but still…