French Travel News-2010/2011 | Nice carnival to bring a million visitors to France

Tuesday, February, 15th at 13.15 by David Howells

French holidays look set to rise sharply in the next two weeks, as the popular Nice Carnival starts to unfold.

Nice, situated on France's Mediterranean south coast, has hosted a carnival of sorts since the middle ages, where it was seen as a big celebration of excess before lent denied people of carnal pleasures for forty days and nights.

Now, the event is a two-week celebration that runs from the middle of February (this year from the 18th) up until the first week of March, with processions running through the day and night.

The carnival draws over a million people to France every year. Its theme for 2011 is 'King of the Mediterranean', and will feature floats, illuminations, dancers and 'flower battles' - where flowers are thrown into the amassed crowds from atop garlanded floats.

For decades, the route has taken the procession up and down the Promenade des Anglais, which runs along the sea front. The event culminates with the burning of the Carnival King at sea, which is seen to have been the precursor for America's Burning Man Festival.

This year, however, Mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi, made a surprise announcement. He called for the carnival's path to be moved for future events, telling the Riviera Times that: 'People come to Nice to see the Promenade des Anglais and the sea.'

As such, it seems this year's carnival is set to take the traditional route; as yet, no plans have been outlined for any changes in the future.