The consular and imperial period favours the organization of masked balls in the lounges of the nobility and the bourgeoisie. The popular demonstrations are, most of the time, organized and controlled by the religious brotherhoods.
It is during the wintry stay, in 1830, of the Sardinian sovereign Charles - Félix, accompanied by his wife and with her suivantes, that the grotesque holiday changes aspect. The carnival took place on the course Saleya (in the South of current Old - Nice), and notables of Nice organized a parade for the official reception in homage to the sovereigns. Aboard cars and aboard floats, they marched past in " rich suits under the balcony of the ducal palace where was held king ". A battle of flowers and candies in true candy sugar (coriandoli), or small dragées (confettis), undertook from car to car. There was also a resumption of masked balls in the ducal palace and of veglioni to the theatre.
Very fast, the usage of different missiles is established. The battles of missiles become the essential game of the carnavalesgue holiday. The local populations and the winter holiday-makers get involved, are in confrontation or encanaillent. The foot soldier holds the pavement, whereas the elite occupies the "smart" positions, windows and terraces of the course Saleya and the street Saint-François-de-Paule. The meeting, the clashes are made at distance, with noble missiles: bunches of flowers, candies, cigars, dragées, or more and more summary: beans, flour, eggshells filled with soot or with flour, chickpeas, balls in breakable dough, sawdust.
But the confettis of plaster become privileged ammunitions. With fighter's outfit, for the occasion: fenced in mask of protection, peels in confettis - sansoula - and big bag. In 1892, the confettis of paper will appear. During the years 1860-70, the winter season holiday-maker of Nice is of the most brilliant. The crowned heads appear on the lists of the foreign residents: the Russian, Belgian, English families, the king of Bavaria, Louis 1-st. The worldly holidays multiply and the winter holiday-makers participate in the big popular and dirty holiday of the carnival.
