Sneak preview of the Nice Carnival

Aurélie, Queen of the Carnival 2012 Copyright The Riviera Times

Speaking from a press conference about the carnival last night, Mayor of Nice Christian Estrosi talked about the 'magic' and 'originality' of the annual event. Surrounded by the huge grosses têtes, Estrosi gave the media a closer look at what is to come. He also awarded 22-year-old trainee nurse Aurélie the title of Reine du Carnaval, who said she was both 'shocked and proud' to represent her city. 

Held in the warehouse where the enormous figures are made, with everything from boxing caterpillars to the Queen of England, journalists could see the different stages of production, as you can too in our 'Carnaval de Nice photo gallery' available online. (Click here)

This year's theme is sport, with the National Figure-Skating Association sponsoring the carnival, and the city has granted the UK an 'invitation of honour' to attend the festivities. Following France, the UK represents the carnival's largest tourist market and Estrosi hopes to draw in the same numbers as last year with a fantastic array of events; over one million people poured onto the streets of Nice in 2011 to watch the show-stopping opening ceremony!

Last year saw record numbers of tickets sales, as over 180,000 attended different events - a 10 per cent increase on 2010. An estimated 35 million euros in revenue completely overshadowed the allocated 6.8 million euro budget for, and it is predicted to be just as big this time around.

When the parade first enters Place Massena on Friday 17th February, it will be made up of 20 different floats featuring over 50 unique figures, created by a dedicated team of professionals who design and create the carnival's grosses têtes each year – the 'carnavaliers'.

The historic Batailles des Fleurs (Battle of the Flowers) was first performed at the city's third carnival in 1876 under the watchful eye of carnival mastermind Andre Saëtone. The procession of floral floats constitute one of the most prestigious moments of the carnival and are essentially a celebration of local produce with over 85 per cent of all the flowers originating from Nice and the surrounding areas.

The Carnival has a deep-rooted history in Nice, with the first mention of a carnival-celebration dating back to 1294. While it has traditionally been an opportunity for the Niçois to indulge in two weeks of fun before fasting for the 40 days of Lent, the carnival has developed into one of the city's top tourist attractions, helping to boost the city's economy during what can be slow months for local industries.

Elsa Carpenter