Tonight the Fete de la Musique transforms the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year, into the longest night of the year in the Old Town. It’s a crazed musical free-for-all with musicians of all stripes on every corner, and every bar in town is permitted to drag their speakers out to the sidewalk and blast on until 3am.
Come to the Old Town if crowds and craziness is your bag, but know that the farther away that you get from the Vieux-Nice Fete de la Bruit, the more, well, musical, the festival becomes. Especially in the little towns, small squares, and cultural venues, the Fete de la Musique is wonderful, always full of discovery, and is not to be missed. That said, there is one corner of Vieux Nice that should be a jazz oasis: the musical line-up at Place Pierre Gautier off Cours Saleya is entirely sponsored by the upcoming Nice Jazz Festival. Another fun spot is just off Place Garibaldi, where you can dance to Salsa Caliente on the MAMAC terrace (just up the escalator).
For a little bit on the history and global reach of the Fete de la Musique, click here for last year’s post.
Photo credit: speaker by Tobias Rutten, Licensed under Creative Commons
