The Nice Carnival 2012

The Nice Carnival 2012 – Shake off winter blues in one of Europe’s most cosmopolitan of cities.

Winters on the French Riviera are never that harsh, in fact compared to much of Europe; winter on the Cote d’Azur is mild, blessed with cloudless blue skies and star-studded nights.

Given its privileged winter climate, a trip to the French Riviera early next year would be a wise move, particularly if you combine it with visiting the ‘hottest event on the French Riviera’ – the Nice Carnival 2012.

Not only is this the one of the most highly attended and anticipated festivals on the French Riviera’s bursting events calendar, but it is also one of the largest carnivals in the world. Taking place in February each year, this two-week festival proves to be possibly the region’s most popular winter event year after year.

Flower parades dominate the scene in Nice throughout the fortnight, with colourful arrays of almost every flower you could care to image, contrasting vibrantly with the stark late-winter sky.

Alongside the many flower parades there are carnival processions, sporting huge papier mache characters with giant heads, concerts, fireworks, prestige soirees, marching bands with their music blasting out from every street, promenade and avenue, accompanied with twirling majorettes.

As musicians, dancers, performers and actors gather here during February from around the world, this cosmopolitan French city becomes even more multicultural and pleasurably diverse whilst its biggest social calendar is taking place.

To conclude this spectacular event, on the last night the carnival king is carried down to the beach on his throne and ceremonially set alight, whilst a backdrop of fireworks flurry into the night sky, mesmerising the thousands of spectators.

So if you want to shake off the winter blue, Nice, in February, is certainly the place to do it!

Visit nicetourisme.com for further details.