Every February, the carnival makes its appearance in the city. It has been an institution and a symbol for Nice since the 13th century.
This event attracts many visitors each year, with 230,000 people attending in 2024. In 2025, the city hopes to surpass this number with the theme “King of the Oceans”. It’s an opportunity to dive back into the history of the carnival.
A bit of history…
The first mention found of the Carnival dates back to 1294, when Charles of Anjou, Count of Provence, mentioned his visit to the city for “the joyful days of Carnival”. The modern Nice Carnival was held for the first time in 1873, after the creation of a Carnival committee by the Nice local Andriot Saëtone. Three years later, in 1876, the Batailles de Fleurs (Battles of Flowers) were created. Originally simple exchanges of flowers, they have become the poetic and elegant side of the Carnival and a showcase of local production. A unique spectacle in the world due to the imagination of the poet and gardener Alphonse Karr.
The evolution of the carnival
Today, the tradition of the carnival has become professionalized, becoming an important commercial and tourist event. Thus, each corso carnavalesques (float parade) of the Nice Carnival features fourteen floats and brings together around 1700 artists (dancers, musicians) for the entertainment. The creation of the floats takes place over several months and involves a hundred carnival workers.
This new edition of the Carnival is committed to the protection of oceans and their ecosystems. A theme that was not chosen at random, as the city of Nice will host the upcoming United Nations Ocean Conference in June 2025, organized by France and Costa Rica. Costa Rica is also the guest of honor at the Carnival, with an exceptional float showcasing the country’s biodiversity.
