Le Figaro Nice
To keep the promise of a 151st edition of the Nice carnival around the theme of “pop culture”, the municipality unveiled, on Thursday, a dense program of activities as well as the visuals of the sovereigns.
From February 17 to March 3, Luke Skywalker, famous character from
Star Wars
, will reign over the Riviera capital, accompanied by his queen, Marilyn Monroe as “Wonder woman”.
An unprecedented encounter, not to say explosive.
Around these effigies, we will find a plethora of fictional characters known to all generations: SpongeBob, Mario, Mickey and even Pikachu.
A mix of “pop culture” genres which will be in the spotlight for two weeks on Place Masséna, the Promenade des Anglais and in the streets of Nice.
Every year, the town hall multiplies the activities to bathe the whole city in this festive and colorful atmosphere, despite a logical concern for security.
Last year, the theme “Treasures of the World” was chosen.
Visuals of the king and queen of the Nice 2024 carnival. DR/City of Nice
On the program for this edition, the usual carnival corsos and flower battles with the scent of seasonal mimosa.
The opening parade, which will combine the two types of floats, will take place on Saturday at 2:30 p.m.
Over the 15 days, five illuminated parades are scheduled (at 8:30 p.m., February 17, 20, 24, 27 and March 2), and one during the day (February 25 at 2:30 p.m.).
Four flower battles (March 21, 24, 28 and February 2 at 2:30 p.m.) will punctuate these laps.
Reservations have been open since December 18 and they are already up 15% compared to last year, said the mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi.
Read alsoThe poster for the Nice 2024 carnival revealed
A “DJ” live from Place Masséna
Among the new features to remember, a “DJ” live from Place Masséna and the Promenade des Anglais will punctuate the parades and immerse spectators a little more in the atmosphere.
A new 1,000-seat grandstand will also be installed at the bandstand.
To make the most of the event, the city has also decided to remove the barriers in order to allow spectators to move closer to the floats and bouquets.
The cremation of the king, followed by fireworks, will once again take place on the undulations of the Bay of Angels on March 2.
And as a bonus throughout this period, the French voices of Homer and Marge Simpson, aka Philippe Peythieu and Véronique Augereau, will announce certain stops of the two tram lines.
The Nice carnival once again intends to compete unvarnished with the biggest carnivals in the world, such as those of Venice or Rio, which were also inspired by the Nice festivities.
Some 200,000 spectators flock to this burlesque event each year, which generates nearly 30 million euros in economic benefits and creates 1,400 direct jobs around the event.