Cancelled in 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Nice carnival will return in February 2022 with the theme of the King of Animals. For this occasion, this flagship event of the Côte d'Azur capital will reinvent itself by offering more free entertainment. We invite you to discover the novelties that will mark the 2022 edition.
The Nice carnival reinvents itself
Get ready for some changes at the 2022 edition of the Nice Carnival!
The city of Nice said it has taken advantage of the cancellation of the 2021 edition due to Covid-19 to reinvent this must-see event on the Nice calendar.
For a few years now, the municipality had already launched a reflection in order to make these festivities more accessible for free to the city's inhabitants.
At a recent city council, Mayor Christian Estrosi said that the new formula of the carnival will offer 'more free time' for the Niçoises and Niçois.
The opening and closing ceremonies will be unprecedented
The next edition of the Nice carnival, which will be held from 11 to 27 February 2022 on the theme of the king of animals, will in particular offer new opening and closing ceremonies.
The next edition will open with a sound and light show on February 11 from 18:30.
This one-hour inaugural show will be free of charge, as will the closing ceremony of the carnival.
Again, expect a few new things as, on February 27, the cremation of the carnival king will no longer be the sole highlight of the show. The carnival will end with a big popular and free party.
All the floats will be on display
Furthermore, throughout the 2022 edition, visitors will be able to admire the work of the Nice carnival workers.
Until now, only the king and queen of the carnival were visible outside the corsos.
But, in the next edition, all the floats will be on display before each outing, in the Jacques Cotta space which is located at the very beginning of the coulée verte.
In addition, a Carnival Village will be set up around the bandstand in the Jardin Albert Ier throughout the festivities.
You will be able to enjoy free animations every day, with food stands, conferences and shows, some of which will take place on the stage of the Théâtre de Verdure.
The corsos will also be modified
The City of Nice has also announced several new features on the corsos side, which will still be free to enter for those in costume.
The illuminated corsos will be shorter (90 minutes) and will start at 8pm instead of 9pm.
Moreover, flowers will take back a prominent place in the Nice Carnival: for the first time, all the flowered floats will participate in the Grand Corso on Saturday 12 February in the evening.
The flower battles will take place on the Place Masséna where a green and flowery promenade will also be set up.
On the square and all along the Avenue de Verdun, the layout of the stands will be completely redesigned.
The stands will be more numerous and lower so that the public is installed as close as possible to the show.
The City of Nice will also host a foreign carnival for the first time: the Belgian carnival Les Gilles de la Louvière. A troupe will perform in the city with its huge hats, colorful costumes, clogs and bells.
The Nice carnival, which welcomes 200,000 visitors each year, 18% of whom are foreigners, promises to return in 2022 more spectacular and festive than ever.