The Nice Carnival or Carnaval de Nice is one of the largest carnivals in the world. Each year, approximately 1 million visitors flock to this winter event along the Côte d’Azur. During the 17 day’s of Carnival, Nice is brimming with people from all over the world enjoying the parades, beach and great food.
History:
Carnaval de Nice can be traced back to 1294. Before fasting for lent, the people of Nice would celebrate by attending masquerades and indulging in rich cuisine. The celebrations also included mocking of everything and everyone while hiding behind disguises of masks and costumes.
In 1873, the 1st parade was introduced along with “Ymagiers” (image producers), a structured production and paying stands. Just three years later, the 1st Flower Parade or Bataille de Fleurs (Battle of Flowers) emerged. Although the Nice Carnival has changed over the years, it still retains some of it’s original grandeur, big head construction and peculiarity.
Each year, the modern carnival boosts a new theme. The 2015 theme was King of Music and the 2016 theme will be King of Media. I’m anxious to see updates as the Carnavaliers create new floats for the upcoming Carnival. The attention to detail on the floats is phenomenal!
Where:
The Carnival Parades and Parades of Lights take place around Place Masséna. The Flower Parades take place on the Promenade des Anglais. These locations are in the city center, near Old Town. As a tourist, it’s easy to find the locations – just look for the bleachers! You can find a map of the parade locations through the Tourism office or online. This is a handy map to pick up, and will help you stake out your parade spot in advance.
