Festival Fever is Alive in Nice

Nice has fast become a highly popular destination for those seeking a quiet French escape. But what if you’re looking for something a bit more vibrant? Well, actually, beneath that ‘nice’ persona is a bit of a party animal city, with plenty of fun to be had.

When many cities are still sleeping off the winter, the festival season of fun kicks off with the Nice Carnival in February. This is a colourful and over-the-top celebration that lasts for two weeks and is jam-packed full of fancy dress processions, rock concerts and huge firework displays.

And perhaps the most colourful element of the whole Carnival event is the giant flower parades – with upwards of twenty floats decorated with fresh flowers of every colour and variety. Men and women in fancy dress stand aboard the floats and throw flowers to onlookers - it’s eccentric, over-the-top and utterly indulgent.

Next on the fiesta calendar is the Manca Festival, which takes place at the end of March and runs into early April. A bit like the Nice Carnival – and indeed like the majority of Nice festivals – it is a hectic and busy schedule of events. A different event is held each night and it is pot-luck as to what it will be; anything from jazz to classical music, theatre, contemporary dance, film screenings or art exhibits.

For those of you who are interested in getting to grips with Nice’s more traditional culture, there is the Festival Mondial de Folklore. Folk music and dance date back to Nice’s ancient past and this four day festival during May includes traditional singing, dancing and music concerts. What's more, in mid-June there is the Sacred Music Festival, which again celebrates the more traditional music of the country; with spiritual hymns, chamber concerts and organ recitals taking place in beautiful churches across Nice.

If you think you’ve got the energy to take it on, then July might just be the best month to visit. Not only will the sun be high in the sky, but it is also when the renowned Jazz Festival takes place each year – attracting some 50,000 visitors. The city becomes more vibrant than ever, where the emphasis is on modern jazz; but recently it has also attracted famous names from other genres of contemporary music – such as Jamiroquai and Joss Stone.

With all this excitement taking place non-stop throughout the year, it is important that you prepare well in advance for when you’re going to take your flights to Nice - to make the most of one of the many festivals taking place.

The information contained within this article is the opinion of the author and is intended purely for information and interest purposes only. It should not be used to make any decisions or take any actions. Any links are included for information purposes only.