Though called Les Batailles de Fleurs, it would have been more appropriate to have named it Vive Les Reines.
Fourteen queens emerged onto Place Masséna, each a personification of different yet strong global women across history: from the Queen of the carnaval to Joan of Arc to Mona Lisa, from Nordic Vikings to female Roman soldiers to African warriors.
These fourteen young modern women walked with power and intent, each step weighted with joy and pride from the histories they are representing, as they took their place atop the flower-filled floats.
Les Batailles de Fleurs is a wonderfully expressive mosaic of flowers, each component and detail contributing to reveal the full breadth and complexity of the representation of women. These Queens are not passive. They take a moment from having to constantly fight for a seat at the table, and instead breathe and share their accomplishments as the audience cheered in support.
M. Le Maire de Nice Christian Estrosi mingles with the crowd as he showers event goers with mimosas during the pre-parade festivities.
La Reine (The Queen) waved to the audience from a white cloud of white roses. A vision as if having descended from the heavens, she greeted the audience with such down-to-earth familiarity.
Meanwhile, La princesse de la sérénité (The Princess of Serenity) arrived in a floating wild garden of red, pink, white and cream, orange and lavender flowers. At first what appears to be untamed, the wild nature of the landscape is natural beauty in itself to be admired and marveled.
La Soldate de Rome (The Soldier of Rome), on a homecoming chariot, leads her army of spear-carrying warrior women clad in animal fur that perhaps they had killed themselves.
The quiet confidence of La Valkyrie Nordique (The Nordic Valkyrie) deafens as she stands amidst towers of red flowers. Here, she is at pause from her war duties.
L’Arc du destin (The Bow of Destiny) celebrates Jeanne d’Arc returning from a victorious battle. Still in her armor, she waves to the cheering spectators. Her own story is an example of lengths women have been subjected to throughout history, despite passion and love as their only driving force.
La Joconde (The Mona Lisa) and her mysterious smile stood atop cascading flowers. Just like her portrait, she is solitary and the foreground separate so as not to take focus from her visage.
La Femme révolution (The Revolutionary Woman) is the homage to French national heroine Marianne. Portrayed as a young woman on a ship, she inspires national pride for the French culture worth fighting for.
The grandest procession of all, La guerrière africaine (The African Warrior), featured no less than ten Ladies-in-Waiting in exquisite gowns of African textiles and various colors of the continent from the beige desert sands to the lush browns and greens of the Serengeti to the white sea shells retrieved from its coasts. At the end stood the African Queen herself, on a carriage float of abundant yellow and orange flowers adorned with tribal shields and spears, and echoed the same textile patterns as her court wore.
L’Égyptienne (The Egyptian Woman) rose from a temple, adorned with ceremonial flowers, perhaps a gift from a distant Roman Emperor admirer.
L’impératrice chinoise (The Chinese Empress), framed by serene gates, she is content amidst the bloom of the garden.
La cheffe amérindienne (The Native American Chief) appeared as if a desert mirage within a float adorned by overflowing mountains of flowers with her plumed headdress slightly catching the calling wind.
Yasha no hana is an elegant tribute to Southeast Asian culture, with its High Priestess adorned in gold at her lotus-filled temple.
Shinobi du Japon médiéval (Shinobi of Medieval Japan) is a grand display of fierceness. The female Japanese samurai warrior waves from the top of the carrier float decorated with a menacing face of a samurai warrior, a constant reminder that behind the smile is a fierce duty to protect honour.
A nod to the history of American women, We can do it features the iconic Rosie the Riveter who took up male-dominated jobs in support of the Second World War efforts. Behind her is the Statue of Liberty, a gift from France honoring the longstanding friendship and support between the two countries. In front, a simple sign that reads “Times Up” in solidarity with women all over the world that sexual harassment and violence will not be tolerated.
As part of the 2026 theme Vive la Reine!, Les Batailles de Fleurs was curated with such intentionality to ensure that the breadth and complexity of humanity, particularly that of its often misconstrued representation of women, is appreciated from all angles.
Carnaval de Nice continues through 1st of March with Lou Queernaval, the final Bataille de Fleurs, the Corso Carnaval Illuminé Clôture, incineration of the King and a fireworks. For details, visit NiceCarnaval.com
PHOTO CREDITS
- All photos courtesy and © Marcus Gualberto, all rights reserved
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