What to Do in April in and around Nice – 2026

April Fool’s Day Nicois-style!  What to expect on April Fool’s Day in Nice…

Easter in Nice

Easter Sunday (Paques in French) is April 5, 2026, but the most impressive is Good Friday, which falls on April 4 this year. On Good Friday, come into the Old Town to experience the Chemin de la Croix Candlelight Procession – Free

The solemn procession starts at Place Rossetti in front of the Cathedral Sainte-Reparate at 8:30pm, and progresses from one ‘station’ to another in the streets of Vieux Nice, each with dramatic artwork representing the various stages of Christ’s walk to his crucifixion.  As darkness falls, the candles are lit, and the procession ends in an eerily surreal scene at the top of rue Rossetti.

By the way, there are two very interesting churches in Nice to visit, especially around Easter time: At the top of Cours Saleya, the Saint Suaire Chapel once held the famous Shroud of Turin (Saint Suaire in French), the burial cloth which may or may not bear the imprint of the resurrected body of Jesus Christ.  And the Monastery on Cimiez has a little Franciscan Friar Museum (free) with a very detailed display on the shroud, showing a replica of the actual imprints on the cloth, life size.

FYI Easter Monday is a bank holiday and many businesses and museums are closed.

If you like vintage cars and motorcycles, don’t miss Legendes de Nice on the Prom right across from the old town – FREE – April 10-12, 2026, a giant classic car/motorcycle festival right on the seaside, open from 10am-5pm, including a car parade Saturday at 2pm.

Followed by the fabulous Monaco Historic Grand Prix!  Normally early May, but for 2026 it’s April 24-26, 2026.  Step back in time with a Grand Prix of vintage racing cars, run on the same 2-mile circuit through Monaco as the Formula 1 Grand Prix.   The Formula 1 race cars and others are from every era, and the Saturday parade features some real stunners. Friday is free day for the practice trials, and a new race starts for different categories every 30 minutes from 11am to 6pm.   Saturday has qualifying trials from 8:15am to 4pm, with a 4-lap car parade in the middle at 12:50-13:20.  Sunday is the finals, and you can find the complete program here.

Biot et les Templiers Medieval Festival – free – April 10-12, 2026.  Take the train to Biot and step back in time.

Stand up Comedy in English –  Every Sunday– The Bobar Comedy Clubin Old Nice does weekly stand-up comedy shows in English ‘Spill the Tea’, at 5:15pm and cover charge is just 8€ or 5€ students.  27 rue Benoit Bunico, tram stop Cathedrale.

 

Check out the Nice International Tattoo Festival!   April 2026 dates TBD at the Hippodrome in the next town down from Nice, Cagnes-sur-mer. Get there by car,  Bus #620 stop Hippodrome, or by train, stop Cagnes-sur-Mer.  Entry 10€/8€ for students.   To get you in the mood, here are some trippy photos of people that have scenes of Nice tattooed on their body!

Don’t miss this months exhibition (dates TBD) in an extraordinary abandoned villa!  I can’t decide which is more captivating: the art or the elegantly decaying ruins of the once stately Villa Cameline.  It’s not a squat: the owner gives a free hand to chosen artists every spring.  During the exhibition dates, it’s open Wednesdays and Saturdays only from 3pm-6:30pm.  Free!  43 ave Monplaisir, tram stop Borriglione, then from the tram stop a 6 minute walk along Ave Romain Rolland that curves into ave Monplaisir up the hill.   Worth the effort!

Les Visiteurs du Soir (The Visitors in the Night) – 2 nights of surprising art in unexpected places, April 2026 dates tbd – FREE.  Les Visiteurs du Soir is a kind of sprawling, ephemeral, almost ‘underground’, yearly contemporary art festival. During two days, the public is invited to a free nighttime self-guided tour to discover approximately sixty locations in Nice: artists’ studios, private apartments, cultural or offbeat locations… even a fabulous abandoned mansion, the Villa Cameline (see above). The purpose of this event is to have contemporary art leave its walls and make it more accessible through a surprising itinerary that shows modern creations in unexpected places.  From the link above just continue scrolling down and the program is just after the map.

Monaco Big-Top Weekend Flea Market – Friday/Saturday April 2026 dates TBD – Every spring the Monegasques empty their fabulous closets to make room for the new styles, and donate them to Monaco’s annual Kermesse de Soeur Marie, a giant festive charity sale/prize raffle held under the big top circus tent in Monaco’s Fontvieille district.

For Sporty Types

Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters Tennis Tournament, April 4-12, 2025.  Ticket prices are surprisingly affordable: as low as 20€ for the high seats for the qualifying matches, so you can watch world class tennis for practically the price of 2 movies.  Even the finals are not bad at only 47 to 101€ .

Easy to access by train, they open up the normally shuttered Monte Carlo Tennis Club train station, so the train will let you off right at the entry.  By the way, the Monte-Carlo Tennis Club is not only not in Monte-Carlo, it’s not even in Monaco, it’s actually located just across the border, in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin.  World-class tennis, affordable tickets, gorgeous weather, sea-view tennis courts, and door-to-door service to boot… what’s not to ‘love’?

Nice International Semi-Marathon, April 19, 2026  A gorgeous completely flat double loop route that runs along the seaside and finishes with a big concert at Place Massena. Plus additional shorter races for all levels including a 5k, 10k and family 1.5k.  2024 had 11,000 participants!

No Finish Line Nice – April 8-12, 2026 – Join an open-ended run/walk for good cause! You pay a small entry free, then for every kilometer that you run/walk on the seaside course during the 5 days.4 nights, you raise 1€ for children’s charities.  Day, night, running, walking, fast, slow, alone, with friends… every kilometer clocked is a good deed done. Update: for 2024 the event set a new record with 6000 participants that collectively logged over 100,000 kilometers, raising over 100k.

The month-long Festival des Jardins Garden Festival is held the whole month of April up and down the entire Cote d’Azur… but only every other year, and this is the year!

Free Parc Phoenix Weekend for local residents – Free – The first full weekend of each month Parc Phoenix nature park/arboretum is free to local residents (but you need to bring proof: a recent phone or electric bill, or tax notice).  Right after lunch is the busiest time with a line to get in so mornings or late afternoons are best.  Tram stop Parc Phoenix

Catch the final weeks of Spring Skiing:  The two highest-altitude resorts, Auron and Isola 2000, are usually open through mid-April, and you can take the bargain snow-bus for just 14€ round trip.

Music and Concerts

Three Tenors with No Rules – at L’Artistique Museum – April 21, 2026 at 6pm, tickets 10-20.  A humorous take on the Three Tenors as part of the Nice Opera outreach program.  Tram stop Jean Medecin

The Chagall Museum is hosts a monthly 1-hour classical concert in the stained-glass concert hall designed by Chagall himself.  This month it is Monday April 13, 2026 at 7pm, clarinets and cords, and tickets are just 12€.  Easy access up and down with bus #5 that runs until late, bus stop Musee Chagall.

Jazz/Blues/Rock Concerts in Nice  Besides nightly concerts at local jazz clubs and rock bars, there is also a robust monthly concert schedule with Nice Music Live;  the concerts at Theatre de Verdure, Black Box, and Stockfish, all have easy tramway access.

Sunday Orchestra Concerts – FREE – Every Sunday at 3:30pm the Nice Orchestra d’Harmonie gives a free concert in the either the Church in the Port (tram stop Port) or the Basilica Notre Dame (tram stop Jean Medecin).  Click here for this week’s concert program.

FREE Afternoon Concert at the Holy Trinity Church – Free – 1-hour concert Tuesday afternoon April 2026 date tbd.  11 rue de la Buffa, tram stop Jean Medecin or Alsace-Lorraine

Classical Concerts in Nice’s fabulous Baroque Churches – These evening concerts are ticketed (usually around 20€ish but also often have senior/student discounts)

• Fri Apr 10 – Eglise Saint-Augustin in Old Nice – Bach Vivaldi
• Sat Apr 11 – Eglise Saint-Francois-de-Paule – J.S. Bach
• Sun Apr 26 – Protestant Temple blvd Victor Hugo – Flute and Harp
• date tbd – Eglise Saint-Francois-de-Paule – Musicam Ensemble
• date tdb – Cathedrale Ste-Reparate Old Nice, Les Moments Musicaux

Candlelight Concerts   Ranging from classic, to themed, to classical interpretations of rock legends, these eclectic concerts are lit by a sea of candles. Tickets start at 35€.

Each month, The Nice Opera features a major symphony and a big theatrical or ballet production.

This months main events:

• Ballet Apres la Pluie (After the Rain) – April 1-5, 2026
• Opera Le Villi – April 24-30, 2026

Insider Tips for an affordable Night at the Opera:

• Half-Price Last-Minute Ticket Line It’s called ‘Ticket Happy Hour’… just line up at the ticket booth 1-hour before the major performances and any unsold seats drop to half-price!  

• Half-Price for under-30s If you are in your 20s, ALL performances are always half-price, no standing in line needed.

• Avoid the temptingly cheap tickets in the ironically-named ‘Paradise’ section:  You enter through a decidedly unglamorous side-entrance and march all the way up to the attic section via a narrow winding stairwell.  The seats are long benches, and if you are seated on the sides but not on the front row you will see nothing.  The acoustics are actually good: the music rises… but so does the heat, so by the second act you will be peeling off layers and mopping your brow.

Besides the big productions, The Nice Opera also has all kinds of outreach events going on all month long… click here for this month’s complete schedule.