What to Do in March in and around Nice – 2026

The Carnaval Swim 10am-1pm Sunday March 1, 2026 at Opera Plage – FREE Are you hearty enough to join the polar bear plunge into the sea on the day after Carnaval?  It’s a traditional purifying ritual after the Carnival King is burned the night before.  Dip into the waves, in costume or not, at 11:45am at Opera Plage beach, then take part in a buffet with festive music.

If you want to do Carnaval old-style (ie: homemade floats, getting pelted with flour-bombs, copious drinking, street music, merriment and mischief…) then join in the Carnaval Independant… if you dare! Sunday March 1st, 2026 from 1pm at Place Saint Roch, tramstop Saint Roch.  It starts with an (aptly-named) pot-luck so bring something to share.

Paris-Nice Bike Race  March 14-15, 2026 – Free.  Missed the Tour de France?  Catch the finish of the Paris-Nice!  Covering over 1000 kilometers over 7 punishing days, the Paris-Nice bike race roars into Nice for its spectacular final day and dramatic finish.  There is a free village off Place Massena from March 8-16 with food, fun, expos, demos, and more.

International Women’s Day in Old Nice is a musical double header! – Saturday March 7, 2026.  Tickets are 15€ and include two super concerts at two different venues.  The soiree starts at Bistrot Rossetti at 7:30pm for Cabaret/Burlesque featuring one of my personal favs, Johanna Piraino, and then at 9pm moves across the street to Shapko for a Rock/Punk/Latex showcase, starting with a new kick-ass Blondie cover band.

Monaco Big-Top Weekend Flea Market – Friday/Saturday March 13/14 2026 – 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.

Mars aux Musees   All Museums in Nice are free March 1-31, 2026 for students and those under 26, with lots of special activities, conferences, soirees and tours.

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.

The English Comedy Group is doing a stand up open mic at O’Neill’s Pub in old Nice Wednesday March 4 and March 18 at 8:30pm.  No cover charge, just buy a drink.  40 Rue Droite, tram stop Cathedrale.

Depiction of Adam and Eve beating each other with gourdsGourd Festival – Free – March 29, 2026 in the Cimiez Gardens.  Nice has a long history with gourds, and at its origin this festival used to include gourd battles where squabbling couples were invited to have it out once and for all (as depicted on this 500-year-old fresque found in Old Nice).  Now days its more folkloric, and a fun way to spend an afternoon.

Draft beer pull in an Old Town pub

 

Saint Patrick’s Day Tuesday, March 17, 2026   Place du Pin is the place with roving musicians, Irish food, and more; then a concert of traditional Irish music followed by a DJ set until 11pm.

Or… Saint Patrick’s Day in Old Nice where a plethora of Irish Pubs await you in the old town, for the wildest pub crawl night of the year… see if you can hit them all!

Jazz brunch in the Grand Foyer of the Nice Opera – Saturday March 21, 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€.  Tramstop Opera.

Doorway to hidden barAfterwork Jazz Concert at ‘secret bar’ Cave Bianchi – March 18 and 19, 2026,  Part of the Nice Opera’s Afterwork series, this 1-hour swing concert is held in a historic ‘secret bar’ that is rarely open to the public.  The 20€ ticket (10€ if you’re 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.

Spring Movie Madness!  From March 22-24, 2026 all seats at all cinemas are just 5€!  It’s called Printemps du Cinema (Springtime at the Movies) and is a France-wide cinema celebration.  Here is a list of local cinemas featuring films in English.

 

No Tyrants Anti-Trump Peaceful Protest March on the Nice Promenade des Anglais – Saturday March 28, 2026.  Meet at 4pm at the mini Statue of Liberty across from the Old Town (near Opera Plage) and bring a sign!  There will be No Kings/No Tyrants protests all over the US on this day, plus around the world in solidarity, so if you don’t like what’s going on in the US at the moment, here’s your chance to say it!

Classical Music Concerts

Don’t miss the final weekends of the Notre Dame Basilica Luminiscence Immersive Sound and Light Showlast performance is Friday March 27, 2026 – 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, the 45-minute experience is a wow.  Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays only, two showings a night; tickets can be as low as 13€ or as high as 39€,  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.

FREE Sunday Orchestra Concerts – Free – Every Sunday at 3:30pm the Nice Orchestra d’Harmonie gives a free concert.  On March 8, 15, and 22 it will be in the Church of the Vow (Eglise du Voeu) which is right across the gardens from the old town (tram stop Cathedrale or Garibaldi).  On the 29th it will be in the Don Bosco Church, 2 minutes walk from tram stop Palais des Expositions.  Click here for this week’s concert program.

FREE lunchtime concert at the Holy Trinity Church – Free – 12:30pm Tuesday March 3, 2026 1-hour lunchtime concert of JS Bach.  11 rue de la Buffa, tram stop Jean Medecin or Alsace-Lorraine

Lunchtime Mini-Concerts in the Grand Foyer of the Nice Opera – Monday March 9 and Monday March 23, 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.

FREE Classical Concerts where the prestigious Nice Music Conservatory’s final-year students get to strut their stuff:

Classical Concerts in Nice’s fabulous Baroque Churches – These evening concerts are ticketed (usually around 20€ish but also often 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 really 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.

Candlelight Concerts   Ranging from classic, to themed, to classical interpretations of rock legends, these eclectic concerts are lit by a sea of candles. This month, half are at the Chateau de Cremat winery, which is a beautiful venue but hard to get to if you don’t have a car.  But the other half are right in Nice at the Westminster Hotel right on the Promenade des Anglais, so super easy access and a majestic setting. Tickets start at 25€.

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.

For Sporty Types

Ski liftGo 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!

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.  And since Nice will be hosting the ice skating events for the 2030 Winter Olympics, this might be just the time to go ice skating in Nice!

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