What to Do in August in and around Nice – 2023
Mon Ete a Nice An all-summer-long slate of outdoor concerts and events including opera and dance, concerts, art expositions, live theater, and even movie screenings under the stars… Just scroll down to the calendar then click on any date and see what’s going on…
There is a lot going on in the Nice Port…
Open-Air Cinema on the Nice Port – FREE classic films presented on the big screen every Tuesday night at 9:30pm; many films shown in English. Tram stop Nice Port
Jazz’Art Lympia concert series – FREE – under the stars on the terraces on the far side of the Nice Port every Thursday from 8-9pm. Tram stop Port. This is part of Les Soirees Estivals (Midsummer Nights Concerts) with over 500 free concerts all summer long in all the towns and villages up and down the coast. Click the link for the program and calendar, or sort by village.
Nighttime Flea Market/Car Boot Sale on the Nice Port – FREE – Vide Grenier means ’empty your attic’ and empty it they do, with all kinds of oddball stuff trading hands at bargain basement prices. August 20 and 27, 2023, from 4pm to 11:30pm, Tram stop Port
And a lot up in the sky…
- Assumption Day Fireworks – August 15 Nice on the Prom
- Fireworks and Beach Party in Cagnes-sur-mer – Aug 13
- Monaco Pyromelodic Fireworks Competition – through first week of August
- Cannes Festival of Pyrotechnic Art – through end of August
- Antibes Festival Pyromelodic – through end of August
Historical Celebrations…
Fete de Catherine Segurane – free – Monday, August 14, 2023 – Nice pays homage to the lowly laundry woman who in 1543 not only killed a soldier with her rug-beating stick but then grabbed his flag, stood atop the village wall for all to see, and wiped her ass… saving Nice and becoming its heroine. Gather at Place Saint-Francois in Old Nice at 6:30pm, then follow the crowd to the Saint-Augustin church and the stone sculpture that commemorates her daring deed. Tramway Cathedrale or Garibaldi.
Assumption Day August 15 – Free – Meet in front of the Church in the Nice Port at 6pm for a short procession to Quai Entrecasteaux, followed by an open-air Catholic Mass celebrating Mary’s rise to the heavens.
WWII Liberation of Nice Parade – Free – August 28 from 10:30am-noon – Come see over 50 WWII era military vehicles from jeeps to tanks, classic cars, retro costumes, and all accompanied by New Orleans Jazz Orchestra. The parade starts at 10:30am on the Prom, then up Gambetta, past the train station, back down avenue Jean Medecin, finishing around noon at Place Massena for the big ceremony. Here is the amazing story of how Nice liberated itself…
La Castellada – Nightly, August 7-18 – Nice’s history reenacted under the moonlight on top of the Nice Chateau. This is one of my favorite things of August, but it takes commitment: first at 8:30pm (mercifully just as the sun sets) they open the gate on the Promenade side and you have to hike up to the top of the Chateau Hill, maybe 400 steps. Next it’s all in French (here’s a cheat sheet). But it’s worth it! 2 1/2 hours in a magical setting with a roving troupe of actors and musicians moving from stage to stage with 12 vignettes of Nice’s rocambulesque history. Snack bar available on-site. Tram stop Garibaldi or Cathedrale. Tickets available online or at the Centre du Patrimoine at the top of Cours Saleya.
Contes de l’Apero (loosely translated to The Happy Hour Tales) Theater in the Park – FREE – Each evening at 7pm through August 6 at the far end of the Promenade du Paillon gardens. These nightly open-air performances and readings are in French, and start just as the sun dips behind the hills. Tram stop Cathedrale or Garibaldi
Grasse, the perfume capital of the world, holds its annual Jasmine Festival the first weekend in August, and is an easy day trip from Nice.
Blind Date? Here’s an out-of-the-box idea, a Blind Dinner (Aug date tbd). Blindfolded before being lead to your table, you’ll experience your meal in a way you will never forget! Tickets for the 3-course blind dinner are 60€, and you select your surprise 3-course menu based on meat, fish or vegetarian. Starts at 8:30pm at Ornato Restaurant 54 blvd Jean Jaures, tram stop Opera.
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
Music and Concerts
The Nice Jazz Festival is usually held the third week in July, but this year it’s bumped to August 20-23, 2024. The Riviera jazz festival offering the best bang for the buck, it features 6 concerts a night between two different stages. Click the link above for a page of insider tips on how to make the most of the the French Riviera’s most famous Jazz Festival.
Sunday Orchestra Concerts in the Park – FREE every Sunday at 3:30pm the Nice Orchestra d’Harmonie gives a free concert in the gazebo in the Albert 1st gardens. Click here for this week’s program. To find it, just walk to the end of the Promenade du Paillon, where the gardens meet the seaside, and it is in the far right corner. Tram stop Massena
Through August 8th, the Nice Classic Live classic music festival presents high-quality concerts under the stars in the dream-like French gardens of the Cimiez monastery. Tickets are 9-19€. Easy access with bus #5 until 1am.
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.
Catch one of the eclectic Candlelight Concerts at the Nice Observatory. A one-of-a-kind concert venue in a historic (but still operating) observatory lit only by a thousand candles… and at the end the cupola opens up to the stars! Tickets start at 47€ and the Observatory is a bit complicated to get to, but worth it for a unique concert in a truly magical ambiance.
Concerts in the Prince’s Palace – Monaco, Aug dates tbd – The Monte Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra gives a series of summer concerts in a one-of-a-kind venue: the interior courtyard of the Palace of Monaco. It’s a coat and tie affair, and tickets go from as low as 30€ to up to 250€.
Les Nuits Rothschild Every Monday and Tuesday night from July through August, the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild in Cap-Jean-Saint-Ferrat opens its doors from 7:45pm-midnight, for an evening ambiance like no other. The villa is resplendent at night lit by hundreds of candles; enjoy live ballet and ‘dancing fountains’, wander the gardens with a ‘picnic panier’, enjoy the bar, or dine in the villa. Tickets are 35€, or 60€ including a picnic basket to enjoy in the gardens (note: no bringing in your own food/bottles), or 105€ including Champagne and 3-course dinner in the villa. There is also a family admission of 80€ for two adults and 2 children.
The Nice Opera has all kinds of events going on every week: Here is this month’s schedule
- Insider Tip: The Nice Opera ticket office has a last-minute ticket line, where one hour before the performance, unsold tickets drop to half-price …and for students and under-30s tickets are just 5€!
If you are more into DJ and Electro
Electro Tribe Festival – Thursday 24 August 2024. A brand new Nice music festival that combines folkloric melodies with electro, resulting in surprising hybrid creations, often using obscure traditional musical instruments to innovate completely new music. Tickets 23€ online, 30€ at the door, 6-11pm Theatre de Verdure, tram stop Massena
LGBT Dolly White Party – FREE – Monday, August 14, 2023 – A fabulously free (in every sense) street party, thrown by the Nice LGBT community. DJ and electro, dancing, food trucks, buvettes, and of course an eye-popping crowd. Dress in white! 6pm-midnight Place du Pin and rue Bonaparte in the Nice Port, Tram stop Garibaldi or Port.
Check out Les Plages Electroniques in Cannes, August 16-18, 2024. A massive festival of electro and trance music with nightly beach raves until the wee hours…
Or… Cannes Bal de Fous Themed masked blow-out dance parties on the beach in Cannes, last three Sunday nights in August. Tickets are 30€ and over-18’s only.
See Related Pages:
- Weekly Open-Air Food and Antique Markets – don’t miss the famous Monday Antique Market at Cours Saleya
- What to do on Sundays in Nice – free afternoon orchestra concerts, free museum days, special family-friendly concert matinees at the Opera House, and of course numerous Catholic masses to choose from…
- Nice by Nite – concerts, jazz clubs, salsa and tango venues, pub quiz nights, English-language theater and movie venues…
- Summer in Nice: 5 Ways to Beat the Heat