Carnaval de Nice exhibition

A Carnaval de Nice exhibition is being held at the musée Massena. It spans the entire 3rd floor.

Carnaval de Nice exhibition at the musée Massena

This exhibition explores the history of the Nice Carnival. A very ancient history. In fact, there is evidence of a carnival in Nice as far back as 1294! Charles II, Count of Provence and Duke of Anjou, travelled with his court to attend a Nice carnival.

The exhibition features posters, illustrations and medals from past carnivals. Note also the presence of musical instruments, fashioned from cougourdons (or cougourdes), a Nice specialty.

Beyond history, technique

What's more, we discover huge parts of the old characters, like the head of the 2023 carnival queen and her skirt. And here, we immediately realize how gigantic the character is on her float, as both the head and the skirt are almost the height of the piece.

Finally, there are various videos from past carnivals.

Practical information

Musée Massena
65 Rue de France
Near the Hotel Negresco

Hours
Every day, 11am-6pm, except Tuesday.

Our page on the carnaval de Nice
Official website