We’re coming up on Carnaval in Nice. Here’s a repost from our time at Carnaval last year…
The Nice Carnival has two major components: the fairy tale Batailles de Fleurs (which take place along the Promenade des Anglais in the daytime) and the rambunctious Corso Carnavalesque (in the Place Masséna both in the afternoons and at night). Every event doesn’t take place every day so it’s vital to check the schedules for the three-week party.
The Bataille de Fleurs, a tradition dating from 1876, is pure charm. Regional florists compete to make the prettiest and most impressive floats. Carnival “princesses” ride atop these floral creations, tossing bouquets of lilies and mimosas to the crowds and to the dancers and majorettes who round out the parade. At the end of the afternoon, tourists and locals head back to their homes and hotels, covered with confetti, and holding armfuls of fresh flowers.
Carnival experts in Nice evoke the modern event’s 127-year-old history but the key to enjoying the party requires more historical distance. A 13th century letter mentions Nice’s Mardi Gras party as a “must” and the rowdy, medieval origins come through loud and clear at a Corso Carnavalesque parade – especially on Saturday night – which can look like something dreamed up by the Phi Delta frat house and the Girls Gone Wild cast. Loudspeakers blast dance music which the brass bands and folk orchestras on the parade grounds try their best to drown out.
This year’s theme was “Mediterranean” and the “Dolce Vita” float consisted of Pinocchio on a pizza cart with a buxom balloon girlfriend, Cupid with an arrow, a giant duck, a suggestively thrusting Tower of Pisa, a (live) caveman dragging a (blow-up) balloon woman by her hair, a group of bemused schoolchildren tossing confetti, canned samba music, and a dozen men in drag (with watermelon breasts and blonde wigs) flashing their garter belts at the crowd.
According to Nice Matin newspaper the next day: “Finally a float that really captures the spirit of Carnival!”
Not to be missed!