Christian Estrosi, Mayor of Nice, presented the festivities and highlights of the 134th edition of the Nice Carnival, as well as the security arrangements in place for this large-scale event, in the presence of Prefect Leclerc, who announced that the event has been labeled a “major event,” which will allow for increased security measures.
An edition themed around Space. From February 17 to March 3, the “King of Space” will reign over the 134th edition of the Nice Carnival.
17 floats featuring rockets, planets, and astronauts will be on display.
Current events won’t escape caricaturists: from Donald Trump, Kim Jong-Un, Brexit, to the presidential couple, all will be represented.
The flower battles will be illustrated by 16 floats, with structures and costumes inspired by the theme.
Christian Estrosi thanked the artisans and florists at the Tribune, who work wonders every year. For the mayor, “They are the heirs of a long and rich tradition, they invent and innovate, without ever denying the past.”
Artists from around the world will perform in the giant arena at Place Masséna.
The Brigade of Grandstand Agitators, composed of 60 acrobats, dancers, and musicians, as well as about twenty street art troupes and musical groups from France and abroad will animate the stands.
The space has become a major issue of the 21st century and today guides many areas of research:
– discovery of new planets
– inquiry into the possibilities of life elsewhere
– ambition for space tourism
This carnival will have several highlights according to Christian Estrosi, the mayor of the city:
Firstly, the “Proxima” exhibition, which will take place from February 10 along the Promenade du Paillon.
It will trace the journey of the 3 astronauts sent to the International Space Station for 6 months. Among them, the French astronaut Thomas Pesquet, who shared with the world his fabulous photos of Earth from space, including of Nice.
Christian Estrosi has expressed his gratitude to the National Center for Space Studies for loaning the exhibition and Thomas Pesquet’s photos of the Côte d’Azur.
At the same time, a children’s drawing exhibition from Nice and Saint Petersburg can be seen throughout the Carnival at the Raoul Mille Library on the theme of the carnival.
Another novelty this year, the Nice Carnival will be exported to 4 municipalities in the Metropolis. Indeed, animations and parades featuring large heads will be offered in Villefranche, Saint-Jeannet, Saint Étienne de Tinée, and Belvédère.
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And like every year:
Parada Nissarda and mobilization of neighborhoods, on Sunday, February 25: a 100% Nice aspect within the carnival parade, with floats made by Nice associations.
The “Vira la Roda” lunch, on Friday, March 2: for the 5th consecutive year, Nice chefs propose boarding the Ferris wheel for a charitable lunch, aimed at supporting students aspiring to enter the restaurant industry.
The incineration of the King, on Saturday, March 3: the incineration will take place, as last year, at Place Masséna, at the end of the final parade of the program.
The mayor wished to organize fireworks during the King’s incineration on the Quai des États-Unis, but for reasons related to mobilizing law enforcement, the Prefect advised against it. This opportunity will be considered at a later time, at least before July 14.
Enhanced security around the carnival this year
As last year, the carnival will take place on a unique site for the carnival parades and flower battles:
A completely enclosed site, with more security gates, monitored by an increased number of private security guards.
A site surrounded by higher opaque panels than last year.
Screening of all Carnaval participants for badge issuance.
Security event service agents will also be present to detect suspicious behaviors, vehicles, or individuals. Security company staff will receive daily briefings.
A system complemented by reinforced measures
Municipal police officers will be mobilized for each outing on the field and at the CSU.
210 private security agents will be distributed across the entire perimeter.
The coordination of all services will be done with the implementation of a common command center in the Urban Supervision Center’s facilities of the City of Nice for each festivity.
The security forces will thus be able to rely on the 1,912 cameras the city of Nice has, and about fifty on the carnival perimeter.
Moreover, to implement this security plan, specific traffic conditions must be put in place to meet the Prefecture’s expectations.
The budget for the Carnival is maintained at 6 million euros, the same budget as in 2017. Much higher economic benefits are expected for hotel and restaurant owners.
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End of the line for the Tourism and Convention Office
The MAPTAM law on metropolises requires that tourist offices become metropolitan. Thus, in 2019, the Tourism Office will become metropolitan and will refocus on its core missions, namely reception and promotion.
The Carnival will be prepared and executed directly by the Nice City Hall. The OTC had been organizing the carnival for about twenty years. Before that, it was the Festival Committee in charge of it.
