Garden Festival at the Jardin des Nations

After a well-earned winter break, the Jardin des Nations team invites you to its big reopening — the Garden Festival! Live concerts, a makers’ and seedling market, creative workshops and fun activities will animate the afternoon, all with free entry. A tasty refreshment bar, a complimentary apéritif at 5 pm* and an open-air photo exhibition round off this friendly, family-focused day.
DETAILED PROGRAMME (Saturday 17 May 2025, 1 pm – 7 pm)
MARKETS & EXHIBITION – throughout the Garden
• Makers’ market: 1 pm – 7 pm – jewellery, illustrations, accessories and unique handmade pieces from Geneva creatives.
• Seedling market (Plantons à Demain): 1:30 pm – 6 pm – climate-adapted varieties and gardening tips.
• Self-guided photo exhibition: 1 pm – 7 pm – 45 large-format works scattered around the park.
WORKSHOPS & ACTIVITIES – Potager des Nations
• Botanical quiz: 1:30 pm – 6 pm – test your plant-spotting skills!
• Floral embroidery**: 1:30 pm – 3:30 pm (registration required, pay-what-you-wish, age 10+) – create a community tablecloth inspired by UNESCO-listed Romanian/Moldovan blouses.
• Plastic-free seed-sowing: 2:30 pm – 4:30 pm – take home eco-friendly seedlings.
• Floral water-colour**: 3 pm – 4:15 pm & 4:30 pm – 5:45 pm (registration required, pay-what-you-wish) – botanical painting with artist Petru Ceban.
• Build an insect hotel: 3 pm – 5 pm – give biodiversity a boost in your garden.
• Garden-inspired creative writing: 5:15 pm – 6:15 pm – let your imagination bloom (pay-what-you-wish).
• Treehouse Circular stall & patchwork: 1:30 pm – 6 pm – repair/customise clothes (CHF 5 per person for materials).
• Bicycle repair station: 2 pm – 5 pm – free tune-ups and minor fixes (donations welcome).
FOOD & MUSIC – bar terrace
• Live concerts: 3 pm – 5 pm – upbeat acoustic sets.
• Bar open: 1 pm – 7 pm – drinks, sweet and savoury snacks.
• Complimentary apéritif: 5 pm (while stocks last).
• LA DULA stand: 6 pm – 7 pm – tasting and sale of Spanish charcuterie, wines and delicacies.
*All workshops are open to everyone unless otherwise indicated. Activities marked ** require advance booking by email: evenement@genevecultive.chevenement@genevecultive.ch.