What to Do in January in and around Nice – 2024
New Year’s Day Free Symphony Concert, 11am at the Nice Opera – free A fantastic way to kick off the new year, with a free concert with the Nice Philharmonic Orchestra. Free tickets available from the Opera ticket office starting at 9:30am …
New Year’s Day Concert 4pm Church Saint-Pierre d’Arene – free This annual concert is a local favorite, full of brio and enthusiasm. Hosted by Nice’s most eclectic priest, Father Gil Fiorini, who is also a jazz musician and has a pastis factory, it is a celebration of musical exuberance. You’ll find this church on rue de France, behind the Negresco, and you’ll find this concert full of joy and community.
Galette des Roi – Pick one up from any bakery in town during the first week of January; it’s a tradition to share this delicious almond paste filled cake with friends, and whomever finds (ie.; chips a tooth on!) the little ceramic figurine (from the Christmas nativity scene, called a santon) is the ‘king’ and wears the crown.
Prom Classic 10k Run The first Sunday after New Years, January 7, 2024. One of the world’s most picturesque 10ks, held along the seaside on the gorgeous Promenade des Anglais.
Hippodrome Horse Racing in Cagnes-sur-mer: Obstacle Course! The first Sunday, January 7th 2024 is the crowd-pleasing obstacle day of the winter equestrian competition series. At only 4.50€ for adults and free for children under 18, it makes for a great family day, and if you’ve never been to the Hippodrome, the seaside horse racing track in nearby Cagnes-sur-Mer, here’s your chance! Get there by car, Bus #620, stop Hippodrome, or by train, stop Cagnes-sur-Mer.
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
Attention Bargain Hunters! The massive Annual French Winter Sales kick off January 10 until February 6, 2024.
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.
Afterwork Tango Concert at ‘secret bar’ Cave Bianchi – January 16 and 17, 2024, 7-8pm, Part of the Nice Opera’s Afterwork series, this short 1-hour ‘Sur un air de Tango‘ concert is held in a historic ‘secret bar’ that is rarely open to the public. The 20€ ticket covers your first drink, but honestly this surprising venue is so cool you won’t want to miss it. 7 rue Raoul Bosio, tram stop Opera or Massena.
Classical Concerts in Nice – There is a whole slate of at least 10 classical concerts every month by different Baroque and Classical ensembles performing in Nice’s fabulous Baroque Churches.
The Nice Opera has all kinds of events going on every week: Here is this month’s schedule
- Deal Alert: 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€!
Paris Drag Show Cabaret – January 20, 2024 – tickets 20€ All the way from Place Pigale in Paris, the Troupe de Madame Arthur alights in Nice for one night only at Stockfish. Tram stop Vaubaun.
Ice Skating: Nice has a full-sized indoor ice 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.
Go to the Snow: Take the bargain snow-bus for just 14€ round trip and in just 90-minutes, you can be up in the mountains for an easy day-trip with the feel of a mini-vacation. 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.
How to get there on the Ski Buses: Besides the Valberg ski bus, there are three other Ski Express Buses to three different ski resorts, Isola 2000, La Colmiane and Auron… so really you can shuss in a different ski resort every weekend of the month and your transpo costs are only 7€ each way!
See Related Pages:
- Weekly Open-Air Markets – don’t miss the famous Monday Antique Market at Cours Saleya, and great shopping for Italian wares at the sprawling Friday Market in Ventimiglia, even in Winter!
- What to do on Sundays in Nice
- Nice by Nite – concerts, jazz clubs, salsa and tango venues, pub quiz nights, English-language theater and movie venues…
- Weather in Nice by Month