Sport will be in the spotlight on Saturday May 4 in Istres during the city’s carnival, which this year has the “Olympic Games” as its theme. A day also marked by the Lily of the Valley festival and fireworks.
Last year, the Istres carnival particularly impressed the crowd with its eight floats from Corso Fleuri and its large final float called “the gorilla”, which came specially from Nice (see our video below). This year, the city has decided to put the Olympic Games in the spotlight a few days before the arrival of the flame which will pass through Istres on May 12.
For this special Olympics carnival, the city announces “explosions of color in the costumes and decorations of the floats, music and clouds of confetti are required for the start of spring”. Made up of several floats, the procession of floats will travel through the streets of the city center in a great hullabaloo. In addition to the eight floats of the Pélissanne corso, four associations will participate: La Farandole – Social Link Center, the Social Center of the South Districts, Istres Sports Cyclotourisme and the Constellations Istréennes.
Departure is scheduled for 3 p.m. and it will pass through Avenue du Palio, Boulevard Guizonnier, Avenue Hélène Boucher, Boulevard République, Allées Jean Jaurès, Boulevard Fréderic Mistral (theatre) and Avenue Léon Blum for arrive at the Charles De Gaulle esplanade.
While waiting for Saturday’s carnival in Istres, we invite you to relive last year’s carnival in pictures.
Temporary road regulations
The city of Istres indicates that due to the organization of the carnival, the parking of all vehicles will be prohibited from Friday May 3, 2024 at 8 p.m. to Saturday May 4 at 7 p.m. on the following roads: avenue Aristide-Briand (from l entrance to the Carmes underground car park at bd de la République), bd de la République, av. Hélène-Boucher, bd Edouard-Guizonnier, bd Frédéric-Mistral (from bd Léon-Blum to allées Jean-Jaurès), av. Jean-Lebas, bd Léon-Blum, place Roger-Salengro, the car park adjoining the hotel Le Castellan, chemin de Tivoli and chemin du Castellan (from bd Léon-Blum to chemin du Cordier).
Likewise, the circulation of all vehicles will be prohibited on Saturday May 4, 2024 from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m. on the following roads: avenue Aristide-Briand (from the entrance to the Carmes underground car park to bd de la République), bd de la République , av. Hélène-Boucher, bd Edouard-Guizonnier, av. Jean-Lebas, rue Paul Charmet, rue de la Pierre du Pébro (from the Honoré-Serres crossing to av. Hélène-Boucher), chemin de Tivoli and chemin du Castellan (from bd Léon-Blum to chemin du Cordier). Traffic and parking of all vehicles will be prohibited on Saturday May 4 from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Avenue du Palio. The circulation of all vehicles will be regulated on Saturday May 4 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Boulevard Frédéric-Mistral. The urban bus and regular coach circuit will be modified on Saturday May 4 from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Lily of the Valley Fireworks
The festivities will also continue with the Muguet funfair and the fireworks this Saturday, May 4, 2024 at 10 p.m. from the dike of the mini-port of the Étang de l’Olivier. Due to its organization, the city of Istres adds that the following temporary regulations will be put in place:
– Parking of all vehicles will be prohibited on the Bernardin-Laugier esplanade, the parking spaces on chemin du Castellan, on boulevard Léon-Blum, in the car park located between n°7 and n°15 on boulevard Léon-Blum, in the Marie-Mauron car park and rue Saint-Sulpice from Friday May 3 at 12 p.m. to Sunday May 5 at 2 a.m.
– The circulation of all vehicles will be prohibited on boulevard Léon-Blum in its entirety, on chemin du Castellan (from rue des Tennis to boulevard Léon-Blum) and rue Saint-Sulpice from Saturday May 4 at 6 p.m. to Sunday May 5 May at 2 a.m. Only vehicles belonging to residents of the Castellan city will have an exemption from circulating according to available spaces and under the control of the municipal police.
Finally, due to the security system linked to the fireworks, pedestrian traffic and parking will be strictly prohibited on the Castellan oppidum from Saturday May 4 at 4 p.m. to Sunday May 5 at 2 a.m.
