What to Do in October in and around Nice – 2023
Rugby World Cup Nice Fan Zone – The whole month of October 2023 – Free –
Watch the matches on giant screens in the Rugby Village between the seaside Theatre de Verdure and Place Massena – Tramstop Massena.
The Running of the Sheep (Transhumance) – Free – Sunday October 1, 2023. It’s quite a site to see the shepherds guide 1000 sheep on their yearly multi-day trek from their summer highlands to their winter lowlands. It all happens in Roubion, an hour and 15 minute drive from Nice (they run shuttles from the parking into the town.) Get there before 10:30 as the sheep arrive at 11:30am, and then it’s a big sheep celebration with folkloric music and dancing, sheepdog demonstrations, falconers, cow-milking, and lumberjack contests. They’ll send ’em back up in June…
Giant ‘Apero’ Street Party on Rue Delille – The first Friday October 6, 2023, rue Delille closes to traffic and from 6:30pm to midnight throws a giant annual ‘Apero’ street party. The 15€ entry fee includes an ongoing finger-food buffet provided by the surrounding restaurants and drinks are just 4€ each, and the there is dancing in the streets with live music followed by DJ. Last year the tickets sold out fast so get there early, and the food is usually finished around 9pm, but that’s when the dancing really heats up. Tram stop Garibaldi
Nice Prom Open Water Swim Saturday October 7, 2023 Plage des Ponchettes, across from the Old Town.
Free Parc Phoenix Weekend for local residents – Free – Saturday/Sunday October 7/8. 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
Fete de la Saint Reparate – Free – Sunday October 8, 2023. An all day celebration in Old Nice to celebrates its patron saint with a procession 9:30-10am from the Hotel de Ville to the Cathedral that bears her name, followed a mass in the Cathedral at 10am, a free toast to the saint at noon, followed by folkloric activities all afternoon from 2pm-5pm. Place Rossetti, Cathédrale Sainte Reparate. Tram stop Cathedrale. Read about what made her a saint here.
Jogging Rose Sunday, October 8, 2023 Two very pink seaside runs, 5k and 7k, along the gorgeous Promenade des Anglais. Expect around 1000 participants, with the proceeds benefiting breast cancer research.
Taylor Swift Eras Tour concert film opens – October 13, 2023 – Pathe Cinemas at Gare du Sud (in Dolby) and Lingostiere (in 4DX).
Eze Gourmand Festival October 14-15, 2023 Free entry, with demonstrations, tasting, contests, music, art, and a gourmet food court, but chef’s cooking workshops are 15-20€ each. Here are more ideas for your daytrip to Eze.
Promenade du Paillon Birthday Concert – FREE – Update: due to rain this concert is postponed to Friday, November 17, and free tickets are still available as of this writing… so sign up here now! To mark the 10 years since the opening of the Promenade du Paillons gardens, the city is celebrating with a free candlelight Queen cover concert, under the stars and right in the park.
Nice Metropole Figure Skating Championships Wednesday, October 18 through Sunday October 22, 2023. For 5 days the best figure skaters in Europe and the world compete for qualifying points leading up to the next Winter Olympics in Milan 2026. The competition sessions are free from Wednesday to Friday, 5€ a session on Saturday and Sunday, then 18€ for the finals competition and showcase at 8pm Sunday evening (hosted by legend Philippe Candeloro). Great for families. Held at the Jean-Bouin ice rink, just across the esplanade from the Palais des Expositions tram stop.
Festival de Guitare October 26-28, 2023. Three nights of blues/rock, Irish, world music and manouche jazz. Espace Magnan (tram stop Magnan), tickets 17€
Vin et Gastronomie d’Antibes – Free – the last weekend in October, Fri thru Sunday the 27-29th. 2023. This giant wine and gourmet food fest is held in the Espaces du Fort Carre, the medieval stone fortress that you can see from the train. Here’s what else you can do as long as you are doing a daytrip to Antibes…
Grande Braderie de Saint Tropez last weekend in October. The one time of the year when a Saint Tropez day trip is a bargain! All the shops pull their wares onto the sidewalk and mark it all down to clear-out prices. Even the the boat to Saint Tropez, normally closed in winter, runs a special boat on this weekend, ferrying boatloads of bargain hunters to the shores of normally trop cher St Trop.
Halloween – October 31st – Vieux Nice/Garibaldi/rue Bonaparte. The nickname for Old Nice is the Babazouk which means ‘Monster’s Lair’… and this is the one night of the year when Old Nice gets even spookier! France doesn’t do trick or treat, but they do love to dress up and cut loose…!
Rocky Horror Picture Show – A new Old Nice tradition! A screening of the cult film, but with all the trimmings! You get a ‘participation pack’ on entry, then your emcees (Dr F&F + Magenta) guide the soiree and even explain the deal for Rocky Horror newbies. Costumes are encouraged, and before you know it you too will be dancing the timewarp! Friday, Saturday, plus Halloween night, but get your tickets early as it sells out fast. Theatre de l’Impasse in Old Nice, tram stop Cathedrale or Garibaldi.
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.
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€!
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.
October is a great month to enjoy the spectacular scenery from a mountain train with peak autumn colors as the leaves turn.
Get in the autumn spirit with a little 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.
October is also prime Flea Market/Car Boot Sale/Neighborhood Garage Sale season:
Flea Market on the Nice Port – FREE – Sunday October 15, and Sunday October 29 – Vide Grenier means ’empty your attic’ and empty it they do, with all kinds of oddball stuff trading hands at bargain basement prices. Tram stop Port
More second-hand stuff can be found the following weekend, on Saturday October 21 at the smaller neighborhood Flea Market/Vide Grenier held on the square Notre Dame, behind the church, tram stop Jean Medecin. One person’s trash is another one’s treasure, and believe me, ‘treasures’ abound at these local sales.
Used English Book Sale – late in October, the small but overflowing English-American Library holds a semi-annual book sale to trim down their stacks. All books are in English and just 1€!
And finally, the Holy Grail of flea markets, Monaco’s Grande Braderie de la Croix-Rouge, Saturday October 28, 2023, where one of the richest countries in the world empties the contents of their fabulous closets for charity. 9am-7pm, in the Espace Leo Ferre Concert Center adjacent to the Fontvieille Shopping Center.
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
- Nice by Nite – concerts, jazz clubs, salsa and tango venues, pub quiz nights, English-language theater and movie venues, and a few surprising ideas…
Photo credit: Rugby World Cup fans, Skaters, and Opera all by Best of Nice