Carnaval de Nice

Celebrated at the beginning of Lent every year, the Nice Carnival takes over the town. The streets are transformed into stages where the musicians, comedians, singers and dancers who come from all over the world can display their talents. Lasting five days, this is the premier Mardi Gras festival in Europe and the Brazilian, Caribbean and Latin American traditions of the festivals originators can clearly be seen in their European counterpart. As well as the music and dance, the processions of ‘big heads’ are a huge part of the festival where both national and international artists design huge cardboard caricatures which are paraded through the streets. A fun festival making Nice a prime destination for the five days leading up to Ash Wednesday. The Carnaval in Nice is a wild 10-day celebration featuring daily parades, concerts, street theater and more. Dating back to the Middle Ages, people from around the globe have been descending on this gorgeous French Riviera city each year to cut loose. The 2004 festivities have been marred a bit by controversy. The year's theme of cloning is considered odd by some.