Nice Carnival 2027: 9 to 28 February, the tickets on sale from December, the 2026 prices, the Flower Battles and the Lemon Festival in Menton

In this guide

💡 The Short Version: The Nice Carnival runs Tuesday 9 to Sunday 28 February 2027, theme Vive l’Amour. Tickets go on sale in December 2026, and the 2027 programme and prices are not yet published. Every entrant needs a ticket, children included. In 2026 a grandstand seat for the day parade was €23 at Place Masséna or €20 on the Promenade, and a standing place €14 or €7. The Lemon Festival in Menton runs 13 to 28 February 2027, and its grandstands for 21 and 28 February are full. Prices are in euros. Or book a tour: the Old Town and Castle Hill walking tourad is from €26 and the hop-on hop-off busad from €24 (GetYourGuide). They are guides, not tickets to the parades.

⚠️ Tickets and the gate. Every entrant needs a ticket, including children and the free categories. Tickets are dated and cannot be refunded or exchanged unless you bought the refundable option. Doors open two hours before the show, and entry is allowed up to 30 minutes after it starts.

The dates

The organiser’s own site, nicecarnaval.com, and the City’s events app carry the dates. The City says tickets go on sale “from December 2026”. The day-by-day list of parades is not published.

What the parades are

The organiser names three highlights. The 154th edition’s theme is Vive l’Amour, “a Queen now the King’s equal”.

• The Carnival parade, by day, and the Parade of Lights, in the evening, run on Place Masséna and round the Albert I garden: floats, giant automatons, about a hundred giant heads and street-art troupes.
• The Flower Battle (bataille de fleurs) is a parade of about fifteen allegorical floats covered in fresh flowers, from which flowers are thrown at the crowd. The organiser says it was first held on the Promenade des Anglais in 1876, and that 80% of the flowers are grown locally.
• The scale. The City says the 2026 edition drew more than 420,000 participants.

The Carnival crowd on Place Masséna in 1926. Photo: Agence Rol, Wikimedia Commons.

Tickets and the 2026 prices

The organiser’s price page still shows the 2026 edition and says the 2027 information will follow. The prices below are the 2026 adult prices, from its price list; expect the 2027 list in December.

• Children aged 6 to 12 paid €10 in the zone A grandstands and €8 in zone B, and €5 in standing zone A and for the Flower parade’s standing zone B. Standing zone B was free for children aged 6 to 12 at the two Place Masséna parades, with a ticket.
• Every entrant needs a ticket. The grandstands and the standing zones are all ticketed, and so are the free categories, such as children under 6 and disabled visitors. In the stands every child takes a seat, with a maximum of 2 seats per adult.
• The refundable option costs about 10% more, and the refund must be asked for at least 72 hours before the show. Without it, tickets are not refundable or exchangeable.
• Buy ahead. The organiser says that on show days it has sometimes had few or no tickets left, and recommends buying on its website.

At the gate

• Doors open two hours before the show, and the organiser recommends arriving then for the security checks. Entry is allowed up to 30 minutes after the start. Leaving the site is final.
• Not allowed: folding chairs, silly string, alcohol, glass and metal or capped plastic containers. Non-metallic water bottles and food are allowed.
• No lockers are available round the event, so bring as little as you can. Strollers are allowed, and in the stands they stay at the foot of the stand.
• Under-3s. The organiser advises against bringing children under 3, because the crowds are dense and the music loud.
• Rain. The City can cancel up to two hours before the start, and tickets are then refunded. If the show stops after more than half its length, there is no refund.
• Getting there. Tram line 1 runs between Gare Thiers and Masséna in about 15 minutes: Nice public transport has the fares.

Spectators in the stands at a Nice Carnival parade in 1913. Photo: Agence Rol, Wikimedia Commons.

The Lemon Festival in Menton

The Fête du Citron runs from 13 to 28 February 2027, the 93rd edition, with the theme Douce France. Its own site sells tickets through its online ticket office, which opened on 5 October 2026, and says the best grandstand places go first.

• The grandstands for Sundays 21 and 28 February are full. Standing places remain.
• Reduced prices: a grandstand seat is €15 and a standing place €8 for ages 6 to 12, and under-6s stand free. The exhibition ticket also admits to the Orchid Show and Winter Garden at the Palais de l’Europe. A Thursday package of the night-parade grandstand and the exhibition is €37.
• The rules. Arrive in Menton before 11:00 for a Sunday parade and before 18:00 for a Thursday one. Nobody enters 15 minutes after a parade starts, and everyone needs a ticket.
• By train. The organiser tells visitors to take the train: a Zou! train every 15 minutes between Cannes and Menton, with extra trains for the night parades. Menton from Nice has the journey.

Where to stay

The parades fill Place Masséna, the Albert I garden and the Promenade, and the festival’s three weeks put more people in the city. Book early and check your dates on Hotels.com. Where to stay in Nice compares the areas, and hotels near the Promenade des Anglais lists the front. These four are on or near the Promenade des Anglais, where the Flower Battle runs:

Anantara Plaza Nice

12 avenue de Verdun · 5 stars · Hotels.comad

Rooms and suites facing the sea and the Albert I gardens, with a spa and a rooftop bar, the hotel’s page says.

Hyatt Regency Nice Palais de la Méditerranée

13 promenade des Anglais · 5 stars · Hotels.comad

A rebuilt hotel behind the Art Deco facade of the Palais de la Méditerranée, with a courtyard pool.

Best Western Plus Hôtel Masséna Nice

58 rue Gioffredo · 4 stars · Hotels.comad

The hotel puts the beaches and the Promenade 5 minutes away on foot, and lists a partner private beach.

Mercure Nice Promenade des Anglais

2 rue Halévy · 4 stars · Hotels.comad

The hotel says the old town is 5 minutes away on foot and the station 10.

Next

The best time to visit Nice gives the weather by month, and 3 days in Nice fits the sights round the closed days. The Promenade des Anglais is where the Flower Battle runs, and what to book before you go to Nice has the hours of every sight. Nice at Christmas 2026 covers the winter season before it.

Common questions

When is the Nice Carnival in 2027?

From Tuesday 9 to Sunday 28 February 2027. It is the 154th edition, with the theme Vive l'Amour.

When do Nice Carnival tickets go on sale?

From December 2026, according to the City of Nice's events app. The organiser's price page still shows the 2026 edition, and the 2027 programme and prices are not published.

Do I need a ticket for the Nice Carnival?

Yes. The grandstands and the standing zones are all ticketed, and everyone who enters needs a ticket, children of all ages included, even where the price is free.

How much were the Nice Carnival tickets in 2026?

A grandstand seat for the day parade was €23 at Place Masséna and €20 on the Promenade des Anglais, and a standing place €14 and €7. The Flower parade grandstand was €28 and €23, and a package of one parade and one Flower parade €45 and €40, not on Saturdays.

What is the Flower Battle?

The Bataille de fleurs, a parade of about fifteen floats decorated with fresh flowers, from which flowers are thrown at the crowd. The organiser says it was first held on the Promenade des Anglais in 1876.

Is the Lemon Festival in Menton at the same time?

Yes. The Fête du Citron runs from 13 to 28 February 2027, with day parades on Sundays 14, 21 and 28 February at 14:30 and night parades on Thursdays 18 and 25 February at 21:00. The grandstands for 21 and 28 February are full.