Nice Wins the Gold: Hosting the 2030 Winter Olympic Games

Olympic Rings at Opening CeremonyIn a shocking upset, Nice just won Olympic Gold!

In a surprise announcement by the IOC, the Nice/French Alps candidature to host the Winter Olympics in 2030 not only made the cut (whew!) …but was the only bid to make the cut, acing out both Sweden and Switzerland, meaning that in just 7 years the Alpes-Cote d’Azur will be the host of the Winter Olympics.

Nice will host all skating events (Figure Skating, Speed Skating, Ice Hockey, and Curling), hold the Closing Ceremony, manage the Olympic Figure Skatersmain Athletes’ Village,  International Broadcast Center and Main Press Center, plus hold the Cross Country Skiing and Snowboard competitions at Isola 2000, just 90-minutes outside of Nice.

The other Alpine Skiing events, Jumping, and Bob/Luge/Skeleton competitions and Opening Ceremonies will be held higher in the Alps, at Corchevel and Val d’Isere among others.

Olympic Curling Stadium 2010Nice’s winning plan focused on using mostly existing structures: Stade Allianz Riviera for the Closing Ceremony,  the currently in-renovation Palais des Expositions for Figure Skating, Curling will happen at the Palais Nikaia, and the Media and Press centers will run out of the new convention center currently being constructed in the Port.  Only two new venues will need to be built from scratch, but these structures for Ice Hockey will be modulable for future use for multiple sports disciplines, and will be mostly paid for by the IOC.  And the new Athletes’ Village will then pivot into much needed university housing.

Nice is no stranger to international sporting events, having just hosted some Rugby World Cup matches this last summer, and the Promenade des Anglais will be the finish line of the Tour de France next July while Paris is tied up with their Summer Olympic preparations, which Nice will also be able to learn from.

Nice Mayor Christian Estrosi has just pulled off an epic win of Olympic proportions!

Photo credits: Best of Nice from Turin Olympics 2006, Vancouver Olympics 2010, and Sochi Olympics 2006

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New – Nice Holiday Gift Guide

Candy pebbles on the pebbled beach of NiceLove it or hate it, the holiday shopping season kicks off this weekend, so the elves have put together a holiday gift guide specially for anyone in Nice or feeling nostalgic for Nice.

Ten out-of-the-box stocking stuffers under 15€ (green fairy, anyone?), mixed in with 10 more that go up from there.  All guaranteed to bring the Cote d’Azur a little closer.

Here you go: Best of Nice Holiday Gift Guide

Let the shopping begin!

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It’s No Joke: Stand-up Comedy in Nice… in English!

Stand up comedy showThe new Bobar Comedy Club in Old Nice is now doing stand-up comedy shows in English!  The new monthly event is called ‘Spill the Tea’ and features an ensemble of English-speaking comics doing back-to-back 10-minute sets for an appreciative anglophone crowd.

I was there last month to test their first foray into English comedy and can report that it was really fun!

Catch the next Spill the Tea this coming Sunday, November 26, and December’s show is scheduled for Sunday, December 17.

Comedians gather on stage at the end of the showThe shows start at 5:30pm, and the cover charge is just 8€ (5€ for students)… so you can treat yourself to live comedy for less than the cost of a movie!   Bobar Comedy Club is at 27 rue Benoit Bunico, tram stop Cathedrale.

For more unusual ideas for things to do in Nice at night check out my newly updated Nightlife page, and also my handpicked monthly event listings for November and December.

And seeing as this is a Sunday event, here are more ideas for things to do on Sundays in Nice, plus Where to Eat in Old Nice on Sundays when many restaurants are closed.

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For Sale: a Piece of Matisse

The Matisse house on Cours Saleya in NiceUpdate: Going once… Going twice… SOLD!  …For 3,285,000€!

Are you a Matisse super-fan?  Well, here is your chance to buy a piece of Matisse.  Not a painting, not an artifact, but something even rarer: the actual apartment in Old Nice where Matisse lived and painted from 1921 to 1938, his most joyous and prolific period.

Matisse and his family lived on the third floor with a view out on to the bustling Cours Saleya market, but in 1927 moved up to the 4th floor penthouse with the full wrap-around terrace and views of the market and the sea, which is the apartment that’s for sale.

Located at the top of Cours Saleya at 1 Place Charles Book cover showing a Matisse painting of a window looking out on the seaFelix, the penthouse apartment has 4 rooms over 1,690 square feet (157m2). It will be auctioned off online here with bids accepted for 24-hours between November 8/9, with a starting bid of 1,785,000€.   Check out these photos

One of my most prized coffee table books is a thick long-out-of-print retrospective (in English!) of Matisse’s masterpieces from his time in Old Nice, most painted right in this apartment.  If you can’t afford the flat, you might at least be able to afford the book …if you’re lucky enough to find it from a used book dealer online!

See related page: The Matisse Museum in Nice

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Hot Tips on some Cool Concerts (and Free!)

You’re going to want to jump on these…

Promenade du Paillon as seen from the airUpdate: due to rain this concert is postponed to Friday, November 17, and free tickets are still available as of this writing… so sign up here now!

To mark the 10 years since the opening of the Promenade du Paillon gardens, the city is celebrating with a free candlelight Queen cover concert, under the stars and right in the park.  It’s Thursday October 19 but here’s the catch: seating is limited and it’s by reservation only.

Poster for C'est Pas Classique music festivalOkay, next up, one of November’s highlights is usually the super fun and free C’est Pas Classique weekend music festival, but since its home turf is currently being blown up, the city is taking the opportunity to blow the festival up as well: from 3 days to 3 weeks (November 3-19), and instead of the (ex) Acropolis, now at venues all over the region. Just click on the website then click on your town.  It is still totally free (and freewheeling!) but the other new feature is that many concerts require free tickets via the website, so take note: reservations open  October 13!

Update: Many concerts are now marked ‘complete’, but now there is a waitlist, so jump on the site and sign up for that!  

For more on upcoming concerts and events, see related pages What to do in Nice in October  and What to do in Nice in November, Where to go for Jazz in Nice, and a new page on Classical Music Concerts in Nice

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