Ciotti cancels Nice wedding after 16 convoy offences

The mayor of Nice, Éric Ciotti, cancelled a wedding ceremony scheduled for Saturday, 12 September 2026 after the guests’ procession carried out dangerous manoeuvres on the Voie Pierre-Mathis expressway. The municipal police recorded 16 offences, and the mayor announced that this will now be the case for any wedding that disrupts public order.

What happened on the Voie Pierre-Mathis

The wedding procession weaved, drove into the oncoming lane and temporarily blocked traffic on the Voie Pierre-Mathis expressway. Motorcyclists and a quad bike rider were performing wheelies. The procession was intercepted by the municipal police, reports ICI Azur.

16 offences in a single trip

According to Nice Premium, the police recorded:

• 9 — unfastened seat belts;
• 2 — driving in the oncoming lane;
• 2 — stopping on the expressway;
• 1 — using a phone while driving;
• 1 — driving on the pavement;
• 1 — running a red light.

Ceremony cancelled, registration postponed

The marriage registration had been scheduled for 11:00 in Parc Phoenix. Ciotti cancelled the celebration, invoking his mayoral powers to preserve public order and citing the local code of conduct. The marriage itself is not prohibited: the registration has been moved to a later date.

“In Nice, a wedding gives no licence for street racing or for flouting the rules,” the mayor said. He promised that from now on any wedding that causes a public order disturbance will be automatically cancelled.

Not the first such case

Cancelling weddings over the antics of processions in Nice began under Ciotti’s predecessor and his political rival Christian Estrosi. The new mayor is applying the same tool and turning it into a general rule. At the end of August Nice city hall announced another controversial decision — flagpoles with the French flag will appear in 89 city schools.

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Photo: NUDE Nahum / Pexels