Festival fever on the Côte d'Azur

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Carnival and flower parades – the packed festival calendar on the Côte d’Azur allows no place for boredom.

Deadlines rarely come along: when the excitement in Nice before the start of the world’s second largest carnival, the Carnaval de Nice, is almost tangible, there is a risk of that things may get stressful.‘King of the Oceans’ is the motto of this year’s spectacle (12 February 2025 to 2 March 2025), however, you can also immerse yourself in a wide range of other events.

Celebrate, Nice-style

‘La Caravalina‘ in Nice’s Riquier District (12 February 2025) provides a foretaste of all that is to come during the 15-day fiesta, with dancing and a balcony concert. ‘Veglione’s Ball’ (14 February 2025) is held at the Opéra Nice and celebrates the Baroque tradition of masked balls. Another traditional highlight is the spectacular evening opening procession, the‘Carnival Parade of Lights’ (15 February 2025). The magical, colourful world of yoga and carnival creations takes over the city the very next afternoon, and again later that day – a particular favourite among families and younger carnival-goers that really gets everyone in the mood for the flower parades the following week. Members of the LGBTQ+ community cook up their own carnival soup and celebrate the weird and wonderful‘Lou Queernaval’ (21 February 2025). The entire visual feast lasts for two weeks. 400’000 spectators then line the famous seafront promenade of Nice, the Promenade des Anglais.

Lou Queernaval Cr Getty Images Valery Hache — Lou Queernaval

When life gives you lemons

However, the rest of the Côte d’Azur is also in a party mood. In the nearby Villefranche-sur-Mer, the‘Floral Naval Combat’ event (17 February 2025) showcases boats adorned with floral decorations. To the far east, in the lemon town of Menton, sculptures and vehicles decorated with thousands of citrus fruits roll through the streets: at the ‘Fête du Citron’ (15 February 2025 — 2 March 2025) everything revolves around Menton’s legendary citrus tradition.

Menton Cr Getty Images Matteo Colombo — Menton

Red carpet in Cannes

Further west, a very different plant in a different shade of yellow inspires the town of Mandelieu-la-Napoule to hold the similarly traditional‘Fête du Mimosa’ (12 — 16 February 2025). This year’s slogan is‘The Crazy Olympics’ and includes a children’s carnival, night-time processions, and corso parades. Weeks later, the next highlights on the itinerary shine in the emerging light of the spring sun: the‘Canneseries’ festival rolls out the red carpet for TV series (24 — 29 April 2025) – and also serves as a teaser for the Cannes Film Festival in May. A floral interlude between these dates: the‘Fête des Roses et des Plantes’ at the elegant Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild (3 and 4 May 2025). This event is sure to set the hearts of flower lovers racing.