The hidden backstage of Patras Carnival in Petroto, where giant satirical floats take shape through craft and imagination.
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A backstage look at Carnival floats
The Carnival Workshop in Petroto, just outside Patras, is the festival’s hidden creative engine. In this vast industrial space, the monumental floats of the Carnival King and his entourage are designed and built throughout the year—long before they reach the parade spotlight.
Inside the hangars, you can watch raw materials like polystyrene, papier-mâché, wire, and bold paint turn into colossal, colorful figures often charged with satirical humor. This is where the Carnival’s artisans—sculptors, painters, metalworkers, and mechanics—keep a decades-old tradition alive.
A visit delivers a true backstage experience: you’ll see floats at different stages of construction, catch the scent of paint and glue, and grasp the sheer scale of preparation behind Greece’s biggest festival.
