It's an annual celebration of ruckus and revelry: carnival season has kicked off in France, bringing an explosion of colour to the grey months of winter. From the Latin "carne vale" meaning "farewell to meat", the ancient festival has evolved into a collective moment of excess ahead of the Christian period of Lent. From overseas in Guadeloupe, to down south in Nice, and even up north, France is letting loose. The France in Focus team reports.

For this edition, we visit Dunkirk, a northern French city that for many brings to mind World War II, but it's also the host of one of the country's biggest and liveliest carnivals, with events lasting for three months. Our team joined revellers in Brouckerque, just southwest of the city. We also met with local historian Olivier Vermersch.

Finally, no talk of carnival season in France would be complete without mentioning Nice and its famous float parade. The celebration on the French Riviera is the biggest in the country and just marked its 150th anniversary last year. Our team joined the preparations for this year's parade.