Music Festivals on the French Riviera

A guide to the summer music festivals on the French Riviera. In Menton, Nice, Monaco, Vence, Biot and Juan les Pins. How to get there and where to stay on the Cote d'Azur...

Below is information on the cycle of annual music festivals which run from May through August across the Côte d'Azur and in Monaco.

Festival des Heures Musicales de Biot

May/June

The music festival of the hilltop village of Biot started back in the early 80s and is a series of concerts by both professional musicians and young talents.

• All concerts are held in the church of Biot
• Limited space means reservations are necessary. All bookings must be made at the Tourist Office, Tel: 04 93 65 78 00
• For more information about the festival: Click here (in French)

Travel Information

• By train: Take the train to the Gare SNCF de Biot. Then take a taxi to the village or take the bus Envibus, ligne 10 from the station to the village
  • Timetable is online: Click here
• By car: From the A8 Autoroute, take exit 44 to Sophia Antipolis and follow the signs to Biot
• By bus: There is a bus that goes between Antibes, Biot, and Valbonne village
  • Detailed schedule and timetable is available online: Click here

Festival de Musique Sacrée, Nice

June

The Festival of Sacred Music first began in 1974. All concerts take place in the churches in the old town of Nice, Vieux Nice.

• Tickets are available by writing to:
  • Festival de la Musique Sacrée de Nice
    2 Place Masséna
    06364 Nice Cedex 4
  • All requests must be made at least 15 days before the concert and include a cheque made out for the Trésor Public. Some tickets will also be available to buy at the door an hour before the concert
• For more information contact the Direction de la Culture. Tel: 04 97 13 36 89

Travel Information

• By train: Take the train to the Gare SNCF Nice Centre Ville
  • Train timetable is online: Click here (in French, select recherche d'itinéraires)
• By car: From the A8 Autoroute, take exit Nice Promenade des Anglais, and follow the Promenade all the way to the centre of town
• By bus: There is a night bus service called Noctam'bus that goes from Nice to Cannes and Grasse.
  • Timetables are available online: Click here

Jazz à Juan

July

The annual Jazz at Juan les Pins festival welcomes some of the most best known international jazz artists.

• All jazz evenings begin at 20:30 and take place in the Pinède Gould
• Ticket prices vary, depending on the performance, with up to 50 percent off for students and under 18s. Tickets are sold at the Tourist Office, 11 Place De Gaulle or Tel: 04 97 23 11 11

Travel Information

• By train: Take the train to the Juan-les-Pins SNCF train station, from there follow the sign to the town centre
  • Train timetable is online: Click here (in French, select recherche d'itinéraires)
• By car: From the A8 Autoroute, take exit 44 Antibes Sophia Antipolis, then follow the signs in the direction of Antibes and then Juan-les-Pins town centre

La Fête de la Musique

21 June

This music festival first took place in 1982 when the minister of culture Jack Lang, and Maurice Fleuret, invited all musicians to perform in the streets of towns and villages across France. Since then, it has become an annual arts event on the national calendar taking place on midsummer's night.

• Concerts take place in the streets and squares of most towns and villages of France, there are no tickets and all shows are free entry
• Every year there is a big concert that takes place on Place Masséna in Nice
• See the Fête de la Musique website (in French)

Nice Jazz Festival

July

With more than 45,000 spectators and 500 musicians each year, the Nice Jazz Festival is one of the largest in Europe having several stages with concerts taking place over eight days. All genres of jazz, blues, gospel, fusion and urban funk are played.

• Traditionally at the Arènes and Jardins de Cimiez; now moved in to Nice town; concerts nightly
• Tickets on sale at FNAC
• See the Nice Jazz Festival website

Travel Information

• By train: Take the train to the Gare SNCF Nice Centre Ville
  • Train timetable: Click here (in French, select recherche d'itinéraires)
• By car: From the A8 Autoroute, take the exit Nice Promenade des Anglais, follow the Promenade, then take the Voie Mathis on the left after the Parc Phoenix, exit Cimiez
• By bus: The night bus service, Noctam'bus, goes from Nice to Cannes and Grasse
  • Timetables are available online: Click here

Festival des Nuits du Sud, Vence

July to August

The Nuits du Sud festival in Vence showcases sounds from the South, with music by celebrated performers and musicians from Chili, Columbia, Cuba, Brazil, Ivory Coast, Mali, Spain, Senegal and many more countries. During the festival there are also exhibitions, activities and free concerts.

• Tickets are sold at the Vence Tourist Office, at Carrefour supermarkets, and at FNAC. Entrance is free for children under 12 years of age
• All concerts take place outdoors in the Place du Grand Jardin from 20:30 and carry on until about midnight
• For more information Tel: 04 93 58 40 17
• Festival Nuits du Sud website

Travel Information

• By car: From the A8, take exit 28 in direction of Cagnes-sur-Mer, then follow the signs to Vence. Free parking is available south of the town (near the Gamm Vert) with a regular shuttle service to the venue
• By bus: Ligne d'Azur has routes from Nice to Vence
  • A timetable is available online: Click here
• The Conseil Général des Alpes Maritimes has a route that goes from Vence to Sophia Antipolis, passing through St-Paul-de-Vence and Valbonne, and a route from Nice to Vence
  • Timetables are available online: Click here

Festival de Musique de Menton

August

The Menton Music Festival welcomes well known musicians from around the world for three weeks of classical music at Le Parvis de la Basilique Saint-Michel Archange in the old town.

Tickets available for one concert or book of tickets available for 3 to 10 concerts. Reduced rates for students and for groups of more than 20 people

• Tickets are sold at the Menton Tourist Office and online: Click here

Travel Information

• By train: Take the train to the Menton station (Gare de Menton) and follow the signs to the Basilique Saint-Michel Archange
  • Train timetable available online: Click here (in French, select recherche d'itinéraires)
  • Taxis are available from the station to the concerts. Tel: 04 92 10 47 02
• By car: From the A8 Autoroute, take exit 59 Menton, and follow the signs to the town centre

Le Sporting Summer Festival, Monaco

July and August

The Sporting Club Monte-Carlo hosts international music artists every summer for performances in the spectacular Salle des Etoiles.

• All tickets include dinner and the performance. Tickets available from Fnac, Galeries Lafayettes, Carrefour, Auchan, E-Leclerc and Messagerie Musicali or Tel: +377 98 06 36 36
• Sporting Summer Festival website

Travel Information

• By train: Take the train to Gare SNCF Monaco Monte-Carlo and follow the signs to Place du Casino. The train timetable is available online: Click here (in French, select recherche d'itinéraires)
• By car: From the A8 Autoroute, take exit 56 in direction of Monaco, and follow the signs to the town centre and Place du Casino