The French Riviera is a lively place on the Mediterranean coastline where many cultural events take place. The mild climate offered by southern France in mid-February is perfect to welcome the famous annual carnival of Nice, which is highly expected by the local people and tourists who don't want to miss this event. Every year, this festival of floats and artists parade through the main avenues of Nice for several days and nights.
This year, the carnival will once again take place from mid-February until the beginning of March in order to maximise the number of participants. This winter, the cinematic art will be put on the spotlight with the theme "the king of cinema". Do not miss the 135th edition of this carnival, which is expected to be dazzling.
The carnival of Nice is famous for being the largest in France with its impressive number of floats in different sizes. It is also one of the most famous carnivals in the world. Every year, hundreds of thousands of visitors come to watch this live open-air show.
During 2 weeks of dancing, singing, laughing with 17 spectacular floats, the carnival of Nice keeps surprising us every year. When the night falls, the parade has a special atmosphere where the lights make the characters even more magical. The floats are illuminated and the artists put on their evening costumes; a not-to-be-missed spectacle. The tradition of the spectacular celebrations in the South of France is fully represented here through these magical days.
The carnival has a unique tradition that contributes greatly to its fame. The famous flowers battle during the carnival is eagerly awaited in Nice. This tradition exists since 1876, when a writer who was living in Nice and was passionate about flowers had the idea of throwing beautiful scented flowers on the people on the “Promenade des Anglais”.
Today, the battle of flowers represents more than 100,000 flowers thrown on the public and nicely hung on the various flowered floats. This historic tradition also helps to highlight the great diversity of flowers in the south of France. Indeed, the vast majority of the flowers produced come from the Nice regions. The hard work made to decorate the floats with flowers also showcases the expertise of local florists, whose work is admirable during this event.
