Le Figaro Nice
To discover
Follow all the news of the city of Nice
February 26 will coincide with the last day of school holidays on the Côte d'Azur, but also with the last of the Nice carnival.
To end this 150th edition in style around the "king of the treasures of the world", his majesty will be burned at sea, in the middle of the Baie des Anges, on Sunday evening.
This will mark the return of a tradition, abandoned since the attack of July 14, 2016. Impatience and anxiety mingle with the joy of this reunion, important for the people of Nice.
More than 30,000 people and therefore families are expected to find the Promenade des Anglais and experience this highlight of the carnival.
Since 2017, the king had been cremated on Place Masséna, following the last corsos.
Only people with a ticket could attend this solemn moment.
With the return of this custom to the seafront, everyone will be able to enjoy it for free.
For a few years, the idea of returning to the Prom 'was whispered.
But Mayor Christian Estrosi wanted to wait.
"It was too early, out of respect for the families of the victims of the attack"
, also conceives Caroline Constantin, director of the carnival of Nice.
Seven years after the tragedy, and on the occasion of the 150 springs of the carnival, the opportunity was great.
“We had to ask ourselves the question again
, explains Caroline Constantin.
Last summer, we were able to reconnect with fireworks.
It is also a sign of resilience.
Behind the fact of cremating the king again at sea, she wants to see a whole symbol there.
“The carnival also exists to exorcise fears and demons
,” she adds.
In this context, it makes perfect sense.”
The carnival also exists to exorcise fears and demons.
In this context, it all makes sense.
Caroline Constantin, director of the Nice carnival
The festivities will begin at 4 p.m., at the Quai des Etats-Unis.
Parade of orchestras and associations of the districts of Nice, to the Théâtre de Verdure.
“We have to find this closeness with the public and reconnect with the folklore of Nice
, hopes Caroline Constantin.
The people of Nice must reclaim the carnival.”
The king will be installed on a barge at the port and brought into the bay around 6:45 p.m., to be set on fire.
It will be located approximately 130 meters from the water's edge.
Protect fishermen
Since the 1980s, the tradition of burning one's majesty in the
mare nostrum
has existed.
Previously, this was done on the Cours Saleya, then on the pebbles of the beaches of the Promenade.
Before taking her away.
“It is certainly linked to fishermen in order to bring them luck and protect them for the rest of the year
, explains Annie Sidro, historian of the Nice carnival.
His cremation will purify them and bring peace to the city.”
And then, doing it on the Prom',
"that looks great!"
, slips the one who also hopes for the return in a few years of the flower battles along the sea.
Read alsoNice Carnival 2023: dates, program, tips... Our guide
From Place Masséna where the festivities take place, a window on the Mediterranean is permanently visible.
The sea is part of the event, hence the desire to end the festivities on its waves.
Fireworks will be fired once the king's silhouette disappears.
“I feel a joy and an impatience to make the king disappear at sea
, enthuses the director, crossing her fingers to have the climatic conditions with her.
We were looking for a way to remember this 150th edition.
It will also be that of the return of the king burned at sea.
