Tatiana Geiselmann // Photo credit: Sébastien BOZON / AFP 9:00 a.m., February 18, 2024

The Mulhouse carnival started this Wednesday, Valentine's Day. But the highlight of the show will take place this Sunday: 2,000 carnival-goers are expected to parade through the streets of the city on around forty floats. Europe 1 was able to witness the final preparations before departure. 

The Mulhouse carnival ends this Sunday. But before that, 2,000 carnival-goers are expected to parade through the streets of the city, on around forty floats. So, to make the party the best possible, we finalize the last details. This year, the tanks, parked out of sight in a hangar on the outskirts of Mulhouse, were adorned with Olympic colors.

Between 80 and 100,000 people are expected in the streets of Mulhouse

“These are the Paris Olympic Games, which we wanted to make a nod to,” explains Jean-Marc Sprenger, president of the Mulhouse carnival. “There is a float where we see the rings for the Olympic Games. There, there is synchronized swimming and they are really going to do synchronized swimming on it, but without water of course.” Each tank took several months of work.

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So on the eve of the big cavalcade, Marc Wurtz, the treasurer of the carnival, settles the last details: "We fill up a little all the tanks that we have on the sides, in which we can put confetti, candies, little sweets, candles.” As well as hundreds of roses that will be thrown into the crowd, a moment that all the spectators are impatiently awaiting: “It’s the high point, it’s the big Sunday cavalcade. So we’re all waiting for that tomorrow.” Obviously, between 80 and 100,000 spectators should crowd the city streets to watch the parade.