Nice Carnival is one of the world's largest and oldest carnivals, held each February in the weeks before Lent and drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors for its two processions along the Promenade des Anglais and through Place Masséna. The King of the Carnival — a giant papier-mâché figure mounted on a float — presides over the festivities and is ritually burned at the closing ceremony on Shrove Tuesday.
The parades feature floats of extraordinary craftsmanship, built over months by local workshops with themes that change annually. The Battle of Flowers — a separate daytime procession on the Promenade — involves participants throwing fresh flowers into the crowd from decorated floats. Carnivale runs for roughly two weeks; street performers, concerts, and temporary funfairs fill the city for the duration. Tickets for the stands along the Promenade are sold in advance; the streets behind are free to watch from.