press release - Lou Queernaval

PRESS RELEASE
Your press contacts :
presse @otcnice.com – 06 72 91 97 39
06 72 75 27 22
>> They said
Jean-Louis Longo
Co-President of the COC
Lou Queernaval Organising Committee
“Glitters, colors and happiness overcome everything ! “
Christian Estrosi
President of the Région Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur
Mayor of Nice
President of the Nice Côte d’Azur Metropolis
“ The freedom for all to be and to think “
Denis Zanon
General Manager of the Nice Tourism and Convention Bureau
Nice Carnival organizer
« Living together in the most beautiful city of the world »
>> The first and only french carnival is back !
More than 15 000 spectators enjoyed the firts edition last year ! Included in Nice Carnival
2016's official line-up, the second edition of Lou Queernaval will get the Place
Massena himmering and shimmying just a few feet away from the iconic
Promenade des Anglais on Friday 19 February 2016 from 9pm!
The King and Queen, symbols of the carnival, will lead the way for a parade of astonishing and traditional
floats designed by carnival artisans, as well as troupes of 500 dancers, queer creatures, madcap icons and
colourful artists, for a night of delirious and light-filled processions packed full of surprises and music!
Brought to you by Nice's LGBTQI community, Lou Queernaval is a popular and public event open to all,
with the power to enthral and enchant young and old alike.
In an explosion of feathers, glitter and extravagant make-up, a jam-packed line-up of partying and events,
each crazier than the one before, will pop up throughout the city and in Nice's LGBTQI venues, in a bid to
to keep the magic and headiness of the carnival alive for an entire weekend.
Lou Queernaval, first french gay carnival, will occur friday 19th of february 2016, at 9:00 pm, place
Massena, in Nice (Côte d’Azur, France).Free entrance. Booking tickets is not possible. Open to
everybody, subject to availability.
>>Exceptional sponsors!
Key figures and celebrities who sponsored the event. Thanks to them , the second
edition of Lou Queernaval got off on the right foot!
Manuel Blanch
DJ, model and actor.
Coverboy of the new french gay magazine “Garçon Magazine”.
Desireless
Singer
Môôsieur Jérémy
Jérémy Patinier
Drag-queer, creator of the Paillettes Queer Show
>> A colourful parade with 500 artists !
In the program : Lou Queernaval orchestra performing in live, DJ Lady Power, drag queens and queer
figures Enza Fragola, Le Filip, Calypso OverKill and Ryûq Qiddo, folk group Ou Ginest, tahitian group
Tamarii Tahiti, dancers schhol Charlies Dance, Choir from the Polychromes association, Batucada Horizon
Musical, Label Troupe, the lesbian association Caram’elles, the sport LGBT association FrontRunners de
Nice, l’ATCA (transgender association from Nice) , Bloco Pangea, L’Danse, Centre LGBT Côte d'Azur...
>> Nice, gay-friendly capital
Beautiful Nice, the party capital of the Mediterranean, a city of sun and tolerance, offers a respectful
and hedonistic lifestyle that its locals and millions of visitors cherish - as does its gay, lesbian, bi
and trans community.
Nice's track record speaks for itself :
> The French city with the second highest number of same-sex marriages (after Paris).
>The first and only French gay carnival “Lou Queernaval”
> France's 5th most gay-friendly city (as ranked by 'Têtu 2014').
>Home to the Pink Parade: Home to the 'Marche des Visibilités LGBT ' [LGBT Pride Walk] of Nice
and the Côte d’Azur, organised by Aglaé and drawing in over 10,000 walkers every year under the
heat of the summer sun to celebrate 'being gay and straight together'.
> The Centre LGBT Côte d’Azur is the only centre of its kind in the PACA region. It is actively
supported by the Conseil Régional [Regional Council], the Conseil Géneral [General Council] and
Nice City Council and has been bringing together twenty associations that help make Nice an
incredibly vibrant and cultural place to live since 2008. It hosts the famous open-air "Dolly Street"
evening events (www.centrelgbt06.fr).
> Over 110 gay-friendly establishments and venues (hotels, cafés, restaurants, beaches, shops
and more) listed by Nice's Tourism and Convention Bureau and the EGL and Aglaé associations.
>A Tourism and Convention Bureau committed to extending a warm and tolerant welcome to all
via its "Nice Irisée Naturellement" label that was awarded the international "Gay Comfort" seal of
approval. Nice's Tourism and Convention Bureau is a member of the ILGTA – International Gay and
Lesbian Travel Association (www.nicetourisme.com).
"Nice welcomes and respects all kinds of love"
>>Lou Queernaval in figures
0
Zero euro from the taxpayer: this first edition of Lou Queernaval was organised thanks to donations from
private (crowdfunding via the Helloasso website, etc.) and public sponsors, most of whom are local (Nice's
hotels, shops, restaurants, cafés, etc.).
1st
Lou Queernaval is France's first gay carnival.
59
Thanks to joint efforts in cooperation with local LGBT and gay-friendly businesses, 59 "Lou
Queernaval"-themed evening events have been scheduled to take place during this Louqueer weekend !
60
Close to 60 Lou Queernaval partners: associations, shops, media, organisations, and many more!
143
Nice Carnival has been running for 143 years now! Lou Queernaval is proud to become part of this longheld Nice tradition.
500
The number of volunteers taking part in the Lou Queernaval parade!
15 000
15 000 spectators enjoyed Lou Queernaval first edition in february 2015.
>> Thank you to all of our partners !
#LouqueerTeam
The COC LGBTQI Organising Com m ittee team :
Jean-Louis Longo, co-president
Dana Osikowski, co-president
Patrick Pozuelos, co-treasurer
Jean-Marie Pottier, co-treasurer
Anthony Vince, co-treasurer
Bruno Tairua, artistic director
Erwann Le Hô, communication director
Didier Garier-Kergall
Our thanks go to:
Michael Dupont, video maker
Francesco Longo, webmaster
Vito Raimondi, graphist
Gaëlann Bodeau
We want to thank : Christian Estrosi, President of Région Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, Mayor of Nice ;
Rudy Salles, President of Nice Tourism and Convention Bureau; Maty Diouf ; Ludovic Arnault ; Jean-Pierre
Caoussi ; Ville de Nice ; Nice Tourism and Convention Bureau team ; ours sponsors and our artists.
All the partners :
Media : Radio FG, Garçon Magazine, Actu-Gay.com, LOM magazine, Yagg, G One Radio, Guide Orphée,
Two Bad Tourists, Scruff, Mégalo magazine, On Air magazine, Experience The French Riviera
Institutions and associations : la Ville de Nice, le Centre LGBT Côte d’Azur, l’Association Transgenres
Côte d’Azur (ATCA), Aglaé, Caram’elles, EGL, Polychromes, Frontrunners Nice, ENIPSE, SIS animation,
IGLTA, INPES, Prends moi.
Hotels and guest rooms: Le Negresco*****, Le Méridien****, Blue Angels chambre d’hôtes, Hôtel Le Petit
Palais****, Ellington Hôtel****, Odyssée Guest House, Hôtel Windsor****, Mister BNB
Cafés and restaurants : L’Eden, Red Kafé, le Panice, Attimi, C Factory, Crêperie Le 8, Les Garçons, Les
Jardins du Capitole.
Shops : Festival, Rendez-vous underwear
Night life : Le Glam, Sapho, Mad’moizelle, Le Domino, soirées Gilda, Le Code, Le Morgan, soirées LZ
Girlz.
Travel agency : Ontours.fr
Evénementiel : Make Up Forever Academy, le Comité Miss Elégance Dom Tom France Beauty Pageant,
le Comité Mister Grand Elégance Beauty Pageant, le Comité Miss Planet France, Trains Touristiques de
France.
And also :
Our photographers : Guillaume Eymard, Camille Dufosse, Stéphane Baré, Ben et Rem from Concept Time
Cédric Pignataro and his team
We think of our friend Laurent Cros, member of the first edition Lou Queernaval organisation committee
who died this year.