Carnaval de Roi de la Musique Nice (Carnival of King of Music Nice 2015)

Last evening, I heard that Nice was home to one of the largest carnivals in the world and it just happens to run from February 13 to March 1. The lovely receptionist at the hotel gave me a couple of brochures and because I am a lover of flowers, she convinced me to buy a ticket for the "Bataille de Fleurs" (literally translated it means battle of flowers). 

In reality, it is a flower parade which dates back to 1876. Today, the event showcases the large variety and quality of flowers grown here in the Riviera. I had no idea what to expect so I wandered down early and stood with the crowds of thousands to watch the festivities. Luckily for me, I was able to get a great viewing spot. Now this was a parade like no other I have ever seen! I took a lot of photos, but I will try to be selective and give you just a taste of what I saw. 

There were 18 floats (les chars fleuris) decorated with the most stunning floral displays. Each float had a musical name such as trombone, cymbale, métronome etc. Here are a few examples:

These are a couple of closer shots of some of the floral arrangements on the floats. Très belle n'est-ce pas?

There were beautifully costumed characters and models atop each float that threw out flowers to the crowd. 

The parade snaked along a strip of the Promenade Des Anglais between the Casino and the Port. Interspersed among the floats were over a 1000 musicians and dancers from all over the world.

There were acrobats, mechanical insects and large air balloons that especially delighted the kids.

Horses rounded out the show followed by the Queen of the Carnival on the last float.

Initially, mimosas were tossed to the crowd from the floats. When they ran out of those, the models began to dismantle their floats and threw out lilies, gerberas, roses, daisies, carnations and palm fronds until the floats were pretty much stripped bare. Many people I saw at the end of the parade had magnificent bouquets in their arms worth far more than the 10 euro entry fee. Even I came back to the hotel with a spray of mimosa. 

Besides the flowers, there was a real carnival feel to the parade. Quite a few kids were dressed in costumes...

People threw confetti and sprayed one another with that coloured string from cans and a troop in the parade released miles of paper over the crowd and into the street. 

This is only one of the many events held during Carnaval de Nice. Tonight, is the Parade of Lights which I am sure would also be magnificent, but I am going to have to give it a miss because of an early start tomorrow. Last night there was the Lou Queernaval which was the 1st Gay Carnival in France. I wish I had known about it, because I would definitely would have gone. At any rate, if you ever happen to be in Nice during Carnaval, be sure to attend. It was a first rate spectacle!