Strangely enough, Rio de Janeiro and Nantes, my hometown, have more in common than you’d think.

For starters, the tramway—not the historic Carioca bondinho, but the modern one. It looks exactly like the tramway in many French cities—no wonder, it was built by Alstom—and if you get off at the Santo Dumont stop in Nantes, you could almost think you’re in Rio—until you look around for more than a few seconds.

Both cities have repurposed their old docks and port areas into trendy spots—from the giant mechanical elephant in Nantes to AquaRio across the Atlantic, among other recent projects.

Both cities can be rainy, and whether you’re on your way to Copacabana or just going to the médiathèque, watch out for the slippery, oh-so-lovely Portuguese stones and slick, rain-polished paving stones.

And both cities celebrate Carnaval, although not on the same date—Brazil’s 2026 Carnival ended two months ago, while Nantes opted for April 12 for a long parade of floats and dancers.

Go figure.

Of course, Carnaval in Nantes is not as wild as in Brazil, and I’m pretty sure local Airbnbs aren’t booked months ahead. Also, don’t expect blocos or great music, but the rest of the ingredients are all there, from dancers to crowded streets.

This year, the theme was “la littérature”, so each float brought a famous book to life, from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to The Jungle Book.

As is tradition in France, confetti flew everywhere.

And as per Carnaval tradition around the world, the event lasted for fucking ever—it takes that long for floats to inch their way through the crowd and across the city. Just as well, a “vide-grenier” (giant garage sale) was on the same day, so I alternated between both events, half perched on street furniture, half at ground level taking pictures of tables piled with old stuff.

Spring suits France. Give them enough planned excitement, and the French are almost happy.