What to Do in December in and around Nice – 2025

An archway in Nice with a palm tree covered with Christmas lights

The holidays on the French Riviera are kind of magical, between the amazing lights, the old French traditions, and all kinds of activities…

Christmas Parade – Free – Saturday December 6, 2025 from 5-6:30pm –  200 artists/musicians throw an old fashioned Christmas Parade all along boulevard Jean Medecin, starting at the top and finishing at Place Massena.  It’s not on the Carnaval scale, but come enjoy a sweet traditional Christmas Parade put on by the local merchants, with the participation of lots of local youth groups.

The Bain de Noel Polar Bear Swim – free and open to all – Sunday, December 21, 2025 Show up at Ruhl Plage from 9:30am ready for a bracing dip, with festivities happening until the moment of truth just before noon.  Last year there were 300 brave souls for the chilly open water swim.  After there is lots of celebrating and hot drinks and festive snacks to warm back up with.

New: Notre Dame Basilica Luminiscence Immersive Sound and Light Show After precision mapping every nook and cranny of this opulent church, they programmed the 360 degree immersive light show to fit the magnificent basilica to the millimeter.  With an all-new show including a sense-surround classical soundtrack accompanied by a live choir on Friday and Saturday, the 45-minute experience is a wow.  Two showings a night; tickets can be as low as 13€ or as high as 39€ for the best seats, side seats (still great) are half price, less on Thursday nights without the live choir, less for the second show, and even less if under 25 or over 65, or with a family.  Tram stop Jean Medecin, entry to the right of the church.

If you haven’t seen the new Hotel Couvent in Old Nice (which was just named the 27th best hotel in the world!), this might just be the occasion: they are holding a Christmas Market from 10am-4pm in their orange grove courtyard from 10am-4pm Saturday December 20, 2025.

Here’s the Best of Nice Holiday Gift Guide for some of the best and most original stocking stuffers and more to pick up in Nice or order online.

Monaco’s annual winter Kermesse is a giant charity raffle/flea market/gift bazar held under the big top tent in Monaco’s Fontvieille district.  Saturday, December 6, 2025 from 10am-6pm; grand raffle drawing starts at 5pm.

More for Music Lovers

Free 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.

Doorway to hidden barAfterwork Jazz Concert at ‘secret bar’ Cave Bianchi – December 11 and 12, 2025, 6pm,  Part of the Nice Opera’s Afterwork series, this short 1-hour concert of Christmas music, is held in a historic ‘secret bar’ that is rarely open to the public.  The 20€ ticket (just 10€ if you are under 30!) covers your first drink, and honestly this surprising venue is so cool you won’t want to miss it.  7 rue Raoul Bosio, tram stop Opera or Massena.

Kiss Cabaret in concert – Friday/Saturday December 5/6, 2025 at 8pm at the Providence Cultural Center (formerly Providence Chapel) in Old Nice, tram stop Cathedrale or Garibaldi.  All woman, all cabaret, all camp!  Tickets 18€ or 15€ for seniors, students.

The Chagall Museum is hosts a monthly 1-hour classical concert by members of the Nice Philharmonic, and held in the magnificent stained-glass concert hall designed by Chagall himself.  This month it is Monday Dec 8, 2025 at 7pm, and tickets are just 12€.  Easy access up and down with bus #5 that runs until late, bus stop Musee Chagall.

FREE Christmas concerts:

  • Tues Dec 2 – Holy Trinity Church, 11 rue de la Buffa – 1:30pm Violin and Piano
  • Wed Dec 24 – Place Saint Augustin in Old Nice – 5:30pm, Christmas Carols by La Ciamada Nissarda Choir
  • Wed Dec 24 – Cathedrale Ste-Reparate Old Nice – 11pm, Midnight Mass
  • Thur Dec 25 – Cathedrale Ste-Reparate Old Nice – 3:30pm, Christmas Organ Concert

FREE Classical Concerts by the Nice Music Conservatory’s final-year students:

  • Wed Dec 3 – L’Artistique Museum, 3-4pm,  Carte Blanche
  • Wed Dec 10 – Matisse Museum, 3-4pm, Carte Blanche
  • Wed Dec 10 – Cathedrale Ste-Reparate Old Nice, 6-8pm, Christmas  Concert

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

The Opera de Monte-Carlo is presenting a Andrew Lloyd Webber’s CATS from December 14-31, 2025.  Tickets are expensive, but what an experience!

Seating at the Nice OperaThe Nice Opera is presenting:

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.

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.

Stand up comedy showStand up Comedy in English – Every Sunday Bobar Comedy Club in Old Nice does a stand-up comedy show (Spill the Tea) in English at 5:15pm and cover charge is just 8€ or 5€ students.  27 rue Benoit Bunico, tram stop Cathedrale.

 

Most of this month’s Candlelight Concerts are at the Chateau de Cremat winery, which is a beautiful venue but hard to get to if you don’t have a car.  However, there are two December dates with candlelight concerts under the fresques at the majestic Hotel Westminster right on the Promenade des Anglais:

  • December 6 for Vivaldi’s Four Seasons with tickets starting at 33€;  or for something a little more ‘out of the box’, on
  • December 13th, the same venue is doing a candlelight classical take on Coldplay, and a second concert featuring a classical take on French Rap (“Rap on Strings”).  Tickets start at 25€

Holiday Magic in Nice

Christmas lights in NiceVisit The Holiday Village  – FREE – just off Place Massena under the giant Ferris Wheel.  This is the spot to snap that shot in time to make custom holiday photo cards!  60 chalets with handmade gifts, hot spiced wine, Champagne/oyster bar, chestnuts roasting on an open fire… plus demonstrations, music and other festivities. Tram stop Massena

Take a day trip to the charming village of Luceram, where you will discover the 400 nativity scenes (creches) hidden in every nook and cranny in the village. It’s just 1 hour away by bus #615/616 (which leaves from the bus station just behind the Vauban tramstop), and goes all of December until mid-January.  Don’t miss it.

For a pretty impressive nativity scene closer to home, check out the almost hidden rose-hued Eglise Sainte Rita in Old Nice, which features a fascinatingly vast creche inside, with hand-made santons representing every profession in the village.  The deceptively discrete church entrance can be found at 1 rue de la Poissonnerie, just off Cours Saleya, and during the holidays is exceptionally open in the evenings.

The kitschiest nativity scene can be found during Christmas week right in the middle of Place Rossetti in Old Nice directly in front of the Cathedrale, featuring life-sized moving automaton farm animals.

The spectacular baroque Church du Gesu in the Old Town  is open every night until midnight during this period.  Then head to the Promenade des Anglais which is lined with 500 illuminated palm trees.

Sporty Types

The Sanremo Marathon/Semi-Marathon/10-k and Family 3k Run – December 7, 2025  Spend a day on the Italian Riviera (just an hour from Nice by train) for possibly the most beautiful (and flat) running course in Europe.  There are races for every level.

The BEST ice skating is in Monaco, at their giant municipal outdoor ice skating rink, right on the port facing the super yachts.  It’s open to the public and costs just 8€ which includes skate rental, helmets and pads.  Opening day is December 5, 2025 and it’s open through end of February.  And as long as you’re there, here’s some other ideas for things to do in Monaco.

If it’s raining, Nice has an indoor skating rink with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the rooftops, and it’s just 7€ including skate rental.  Easy access: the Patinoire Jean Bouin is right across from the Palais des Expositions tram stop.

The ski resorts open mid December: Isola 2000 and Auron both open December 6th 2025, and Valberg on December 20…   In just 90-minutes you can be up in the mountains, and it’s a bargain with the Snow Buses.

Here is a recent ranking of the best ski resorts and why, but know that Valberg is worth the day trip even if you don’t ski: you can still play in the snow, warm up with raclette for lunch,  soak up the alpine ambiance, hike or snowshoe the Planetary Trail in the afternoon (a multimedia GPS guide is available at the tourist office), and sip hot spiced wine in a warm chalet before napping on the bus ride back.

Thrills and Chills at Luna Park December 6, 2025 to January 5, 2026 – Did you know that there is a massive indoor amusement park inside the cavernous Palais des Expositions?  With 18 giant gravity-defying stomach-churning rides, you can spin and fly while staying warm and dry.  The 32€ all-ride pass (1 tour on each ride, good for the whole month) is a great solution for a rainy winter afternoons…  Tram stop Palais des Expositions.

Another important date: December 17 at 10am France time is when the Nice Carnaval tickets go on sale, so order early online for best seats.

New Years in Nice

Contrary to what most people expect, there are no midnight fireworks in Nice for New Year’s Eve, but even so it’s a tradition to head to the Promenade des Anglais at midnight, Champagne bottle in hand, and pop that cork!

On New Years Day, the Nice Philharmonic gives a fantastic free New Year’s Day Mini-Nutcracker Ballet/Concert, 3-4pm at the Nice Opera – A fantastic way to kick off the new year, with a free presentation of the highlights of the Nutcracker ballet accompanied by the Nice Philharmonic Orchestra.  No reservations, just line up for your free tickets from the Opera ticket office on the day of starting at 10am.

See Related Pages:

  • Nice by Nite – concerts, jazz clubs, salsa and tango venues, pub quiz nights, English-language theater and movie venues…

 

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Photo credits: Christmas in Nice, Winter in Nice, Opera, and Sainte-Rita by Best of Nice Blog.  Ski Lift courtesy of Nice-Properties apartments in Nice.

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