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The Nice Carnival is one of the world’s major carnival events, alongside the Brazilian Carnival and Venetian Carnival. It is held annually in February in Nice on the French Riviera。


Today the event attracts over a million visitors to Nice every year. The Carnival spans a two-week period in February.

Every year, a special theme is chosen , and traditional artists create 18 floats and other figurines in traditional papier-mâché for the colorful parade. The parades take place day and night, while on the Promenade des Anglais, “flower battles” occur.

Click to view an introduction of Nice

The most widely accepted etymology for the word “Carnival” is “carne levare” (“away with meat”). By the Middle Ages, the people of Nice, before fasting forty days according to the Catholic tradition of Lent, enjoyed rich, plentiful cuisine. The better to celebrate this time of merriment, all excesses were authorized. It was also a time for mocking everything and everybody at everyone’s expense, behind masks, protected by disguises until Mardi Gras.

The earliest mention of Carnival merrymaking in Nice goes back to 1294, when the Count of Provence Charles d’Anjou spent the “the joyous days of Carnival” in Nice.

Until the 18th century, Carnival was punctuated by masked balls and frenzied farandoles in the streets of what is now Old Nice. Any excesses were soon controlled by the “Abbés des Fous” (Fools’ abbots), entrusted by the clergy with supervising the people’s revelry.

Under the influence of the Carnival of Venice, a Carnival in Salons and “Veglioni” (private masked balls) developed in the course of the 18th century at the expense of the attractions in the street.

During the major political and military upheavals caused by the French Revolution and the First Napoleonic Empire, Carnival festivities were suspended.

In 1830, a first cortège was organized in honour of King Charles-Felix and Queen Marie-Christine, rulers of Piedmont-Sardinia. Some thirty carriages paraded in front of the monarchs, announcing the future form of Carnival.

The Beginnings of ‘Modern’ Carnival…

Until 1872, the fun was in the streets of Nice. According to individual inspiration: the crowd wore disguises and threw plaster confetti, flour and eggs at each other. In 1873, His Majesty King Carnival I entered his city: the modern Carnival was born. Until 1971, Alexis Mossa, then his son Gustav-Adolf, brought their special touch, a stunning grotesque mythical particularism in designing the most spectacular floats that ever paraded in Nice.

On February 14, 1882, His Majesty “Triboulet”, as he was dubbed, made a triumphal entrance into the City. This modest straw and rag puppet who had been content with simply watching the cortège go by on Place de la Préfecture participated for the first time in the parade, enthroned on the “Royal Float” as we know it today. the detail of the designs by our prestigious press cartoonists. To mark the beginning of the century, great care was taken over the choice of themes and cartoonists and the creation of floats. The Carnavaliers have also integrated modern materials such as plastazote use new technologies and the work of sculptors.

Click to view an introduction of Nice

Thèmes du carnaval au fil des ans …

2017Roi de l’ énergie

2016Roi des Médias

2015Roi de la Musique

2014Roi de la Gastronomie

2013Roi des 5 continents

2012Roi du Sport

2011Roi de la Méditerranée

2010Roi de la Planète Bleue

2009Roi des Mascarades

2008Roi des Ratapignatas, Raminagrobis et autres ramassis de rats masqués

2007Roi de la Très Grande Mêlée

2006Roi des Dupes

2005Roi du fol climat Merdaille et Cornipétant

2004Roi de la Clonerie

2003Roi de la .comMedi@

2002Roi de l’Euroland

2001Roi du IIIe millénaire

2000Roi des Odyssées.com

1999Roi du XXe siècle

1998Roi du Cirque

1997Roi des Sports

1996Roi de la Musique

1995Roi du Cinéma

1994Roi des Arts

1993Roi de l’Europe

1992Roi des Rois

1991Roi des Fous – Cancellation (Golf war)

1990Roi du Rire