Cruise & Curated Travel Specialist
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The King of Space has come to Nice!
After the sun goes down, Place Massena comes to life. 17 decorated Carnaval floats light up the night sky, music blares, and over 1,000 dancers & musicians from around the world parade through the streets. This year, on day one, we joined in the fun at the Nice Carnaval Parade of Lights – always a spectacular event on the Cote d’Azur.
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One of the largest carnivals in the world is held on the sunny French Riviera. The colorful parades of the Carnaval de Nice entertain visitors, both young and old. For the 3rd year in a row, we joined in the fun during the elegant Bataille de Fleurs or Battle of Flowers. The Nice Carnaval Battle of Flowers is Lucy’s favorite event. She loves dancing to the music, seeing the gorgeous floral displays and admiring the extravagant costumes.
Disclosure: This post may contain an affiliate link & I may have been compensated for my time writing this article.
One of the winter highlights along the French Riviera is the Nice Carnival. Each year, a million visitors attend Carnaval de Nice enjoying the fun, sea, sunshine and Niçoise cuisine.
The 2016 theme was King of Media (Roi des Médias). The floats this year didn’t disappoint with their big head construction, jabs at over consumerism and even portrayed our obsession with cellphones. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the Queen had cellphones coming out of her head!
The carnival parade included a procession of 16 floats and entertainment from over 1,000 musicians and dancers from across the world. The high energy event takes place day and night on the Place Masséna with adults and children dancing, throwing confetti and spraying of silly string. Your senses will be awash of thumping music and an array of colors splashing across the sky.
Take a look below at some of our favorite floats and entertainment from the event. The carnavaliers are true masters of their craft and incorporate impressive details into the floats.
A few interesting facts:
Starting off the Carnaval de Nice:
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Sitting in the stands along the Mediterranean Sea, confetti, silly string, streamers, and the fragrance from thousands of flowers swirl through the crowd. It’s almost time for the Nice Carnival Battle of Flowers to begin!
Kids cram against the rails, arms stretched out hoping to grasp the first of the yellow flowers being thrown to the spectators. Music blares, horse hooves clip clop along the street and acrobats on stilts smile at the audience while clapping their hands in the air. Everyone waving their arms hoping to take home the party favors of the event – FLOWERS.
Beginning in 1876, the 1st Bataille de Fleurs or Battle of Flowers emerged. Originally, young ladies dressed in their finest clothes and in decorated carriages paraded down the Promenade and exchanged bouquets of flowers with each other and admirers. Even though the event has evolved, the same elegance remains.
Disclosure: This post may contain an affiliate link & I may have been compensated for my time writing this article.
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.
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!
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.