What to Do in June in and around Nice – 2026

Don’t miss the last days of the FREE Leonardo de Vinci hands-on discovery exhibit in the majestic Gare de Sud, just across from the Liberation tram stop.  It’s in French and English and has interactive models of some of his ingenious devices, miniatures of his genius architectural innovations, flying machines suspended from the ceiling, paintings, dissection drawings, and even a video games where you can virtually fly over a French Chateau using his winged invention.  Totally FREE and open daily from 10am-7pm through June 5.

Bellet Winery Shuttle – Every Saturday starting mid-June  – Nice runs a special shuttle bus that does a continuous loop of Bellet wineries for the cost of a regular bus ticket!  

Fete de la Musique June 21 – FREE    Every June 21st on Summer Solstice, the Fete de la Musique transforms all of France into a free music festival which is not to be missed.   In the Old Town the variety of music is vast; and within this auditive free-for-all there is truly something for every musical taste, and it is kind of fun to try to find the chords through the cacophony…  This is the one night of the year when all the bars have permission to pull their speakers outside, serve on the street, and stay open until 3am… and there is literally dancing in the streets.  Or…stick to the surrounding neighborhoods:  If crowds and craziness are not your bag, know that the farther away that you get from the Vieux-Nice Fete de la Bruit epicenter, the more, well, musical, the festival becomes… delightful, cultural, and full of discovery.

Fete du Chateau Weekend  FREE –  Friday/Saturday last weekend in June, 2026 dates TBD. This is the only weekend of the year when you can go up to the Nice Chateau at night, for a fun music festival put on by… the Communist Party!  Don’t miss it.  Tram stop Cathedrale or Garibaldi       

La Verticale du Chateau Fun Run – Saturday June 27, 2026.  This tiny but mighty 2k goes straight up to the top of the Chateau, and walkers and families with children are very welcome!  Sign up here, then gather from 9am on rue Catherine Segurane right next to the Garibaldi line 2 tramstop.   The starting gun is 10:30am, with an apero and prizes up top.  

The 2026 Giant Summer Clearance Sales (Soldes) start from June 24, 2026 and the discounts get deeper and deeper for the next 4 weeks.  It’s shocking for Americans, but in France the dates when stores can have big blowout sales are regulated by law (!), so everything goes on sale all at once!

Fete de Saint-Pierre (patron saint of fishermen) Port Festival – free –  Saturday, June 27, 2026.   Starting with a colorful procession around the port at 6:30pm, the soiree continues with a giant sardinade, a big family-style sardine barbeque (not free) accompanied by other Nice specialties, followed by a fun folkloric outdoor dance party and the traditional burning of the boat.  Tram stop Port Lympia

The Running of the Sheep (Transhumance) – Free – Saturday June 6, 2026 – in the mountain village Saint-Etienne-de-Tinee.  It’s quite a site to see the shepherds guide hundreds of sheep on their yearly multi-day trek from their winter lowlands, to the highlands where they will graze for the summer.   There are activities, music, demonstrations, and workshops for kids all day long until they welcome the arriving sheep late afternoon. )r do the same the last Sunday in June (date tbd), for the herd that summers in the picturesque village of Guillaumes.  They’ll bring ’em back down in October…

Retro Street Party on Rue Delille – Friday, 2026 dates TBD – Rue Delille closes to traffic from 6:30pm to midnight and throws a giant ‘Apero’ street party.  The 15€ entry fee includes the periodic waves of finger food provided by the surrounding restaurants (which are promptly swarmed),  drinks are just 4€ each, and there is dancing in the streets to hits from the 80’s, 90’s and 2000’s, so dress accordingly.   Last year the tickets sold out fast so buy ahead of time from any restaurant on rue Delille.  Tram stop Garibaldi

In Villefranche-sur-mer, catch the Creme Festival, late June 26-28, 2026 with three days of Electro, DJ, Indie, dance parties, and more, between the beach, the port and the citadelle.  

This is a really special event:  Un Monde Ensemble – 3pm, June 20/21, 2026 at the Nice Opera.  Performed by 150 students from the disfavored East Nice neighborhoods, the participants have been rehearsing for 2 years to create and bring this project about revolt and hope to life.  Combining music, song, slam, percussion and urban dance, the show is in French but is electronically subtitled in English.  Tickets 20€ for adults and just 5€ for 18 and under.

Beat the heat inside a cool cinema: last weekend in June 28 – July 1, 2026 the Fete de la Cinema where all movies are just 5€ a ticket.  Here’s a guide to cinemas in Nice with films in English.

European Archaeology Days – mid-June, 2026 –  If your French is up to it, there is a lot to discover in this archaeologically rich area.

Nice Ironman European Championship  ironman

Free to watch! Sunday, June 28, 2026 An ultra-endurance race of insane proportions for mega-jocks, but we mere mortals can still watch!  The 6:25am start is a 2.4 miles (3.8 km) open water swim, then they bike over mountains for 112 miles (180 km), and if that wasn’t enough, then they run – I’m not kidding – a full marathon of 26.2 miles (42 km) on the Prom.  The Promenade des Anglais is closed to traffic all day, so even couch potatoes can take advantage of the unusually silent Prom for a relaxing drink at one of the bars facing the sea.

For a more reasonable triathlon, the Cagnes Triathlon is June 14, 2026, with 1000 competitors doing an open-water swim, biking through the hills, and finishing with a semi-marathon.

Stand up comedy showStand up Comedy in English –  Every Sunday– The Bobar Comedy Club in 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.

Also, the English Comedy Group organizes regular stand up shows, sometimes at Bobar, but sometimes elsewhere around town. Click the above FB link for updates, or their Instagram here.

More Music 

FREE Symphony Mass with the Nice Philharmonic Orchestra – 11am Sunday June 21, 2026, as part of the Sacred Music Festival in the Sainte-Reperate Cathedrale in Old Nice, tram stop Cathedrale.

The Sacred Music Festival also features 3 evening concerts on June 23, 26 and 30 at 8:30pm, also in the magnificent Sainte-Reperate Cathedrale in Old Nice.  These evening concerts are ticketed but are only 20€ (or just 10€ for under 30’s!) so you can go for Baroque without going broke (sorry…).  Tram stop Cathedrale.

Baroque Heroines Concert in the Cathedrale Ste-Reparate – June 7, 2026 5pm, tickets from 22€

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 June 8, 2026 at 7pm, clarinets and piano, and tickets are just 12€.  Easy access up and down with bus #5 that runs until late, bus stop Musee Chagall.

Lunchtime Mini-Concert in the Grand Foyer of the Nice Opera – Monday June 1, 2026 – This one-hour concert of chamber music by members of the Nice Philharmonic is from 12:15-1:15pm and tickets are just 12€.  Tramstop Opera.

Morning jazz brunch in the Grand Foyer of the Nice Opera – Saturday June 6, 2026 – Enjoy coffee and pastries and a one-hour jazz concert in the majestic Foyer of the Nice Opera… what a way to start your Saturday!  The 11am concert is given by the students of the Nice Music Conservatory and tickets are just 12€.  Tram stop Opera.

Afterwork concert at Opera Plage – June 10, 2026 .  Enjoy a 1-hour live electric violin improv over a DJ set, on the beach, accompanied by lapping waves, and your ticket includes a drink!  Tickets are 20€ (or just 10€ for anyone under 30!).  Tram stop Opera

Afterwork mini-concert at the Nice Observatory – June 18, 2026 at 7pm – A festive hour of Broadway and Hollywood showtunes to take you on a musical journey through American comedy classics.  Held at the Astrodome of the Nice Observatory, this is a fabulous chance to visit a breathtaking venue.  Tickets 20€, or just 10€ for under 30’s!

Afterwork mini-concert in the C.U.M. Auditorium – June 24, 2026 at 7pm – An hour of surprises to wind down your workday, where members of the Opera’s Choir step into to the spotlight and can strut their stuff!  It’s held in the circular auditorium of the Centre Universitare Mediterraneen, tram stop CUM on line 2.   Tickets 20€, or just 10€ for under 30’s! 

Afterwork concert at La Providence in Old Nice – June 12, 2026 at 7pm.  Enjoy a 1-hour classic opera concert by the Nice Opera dedicated to interpretations of the Virgin Mary… Tickets are 10-20€.  Part of the musical outreach by the Nice Opera.  

FREE Classical Concerts where the prestigious Nice Music Conservatory students get to strut their stuff:

Festi’Vence –  late-June 2026 dates tba – Free – a slate of back-to-back classical music concerts spread out over 3 days in the town square of the charming town of Vence.  It’s easy to get there by bus, even coming back late.  

Sunday Concert in the ParkSunday Orchestra Concerts in the Park – FREE – Every Sunday in June at 3:30pm the Nice Orchestra d’Harmonie gives a free outdoor concert (click here for this week’s program)  in the Cimiez gardens, easily accessible with bus #5.  And while you’re up on Cimiez, check out the Matisse Museum, the Roman Baths Museum, the Franciscan Monastery and Gardens, all within minutes of the concert venue.

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.

Classical Concerts in Nice – There are several classical concerts every month by different Baroque and Classical ensembles performing in Nice’s fabulous Baroque Churches.  These evening concerts are ticketed (usually around 20€ish but also usually have senior/student discounts)

Seating at the Nice OperaEach month, The Nice Opera features a major symphony and a big theatrical or ballet production.

This months main events:

Insider Tips for an affordable Night at the Opera:

  • Half-Price Last-Minute Ticket Line It’s called ‘Happy Hour’… just line up at the ticket booth 1-hour before the major performances and any unsold seats drop to half-price!  And if you are under-30 you’ll be really happy: you get last-minute tickets for just 5€!
  • 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.

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.

See Related Pages:

  • 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…

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Photo credits: Street musician licenced under Creative Commons, Nice Ironman by Patrice Lapoirie courtesy of the Nice-Matin

 

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