The Carnival of Nice, the Lemon Festival or the Corso in Bloom... Festive, artistic or contemplative events bring the winter season to life on the Côte d'Azur. It's also a time to take advantage of the mild temperatures, fewer tourists and invigorating light... Mark your calendar!
The most graceful of all: the Cannes Festival of Dance
From romantic ballet to hip-hop, the Festival de danse - Cannes Côte d'Azur France offers an eclectic programme to satisfy both aficionados and those curious about the art of choreography. Held every two years, the event grows with each edition. In 2021, 28 performances will take place in Cannes, Nice, Antibes, Mougins, Grasse, Fréjus and Draguignan, led by innovative international choreographers.
*From 24 November to 10 December 2023 Dance Festival - Cannes
The most magical: Christmas in Saint-Tropez
In winter, Saint-Tropez rediscovers its tranquillity and authenticity. Throughout the month of December, the village is in the Christmas spirit, with enchanting shop windows, an ice rink on the Place des Lices where you can try your hand at dancing to lively music, gourmet chalets where you can sample Provencal desserts, horse-drawn carriage rides and a magnificent fireworks display on the last night of the year. And don't miss the arrival of Santa Claus on a sailing boat and the Christmas parade. At this time of year, the legendary port resembles a painting, with lights dancing across its ochre façades. The sunset from the citadel is equally magical. Christmas in Saint-Tropez is also a celebration of Provençal traditions, with a giant crib in the Chapelle de la Miséricorde, a pastoral and a concert of Provençal carols.
*From 8 December 2023 to 7 January 2024. Visit Saint-Tropez
The most flowery: corsos on the Mimosa Route
From Bormes-Les-Mimosas to Grasse, via Sainte-Maxime, Mandelieu-La Napoule and Tanneron, the Mimosa Route covers 130 km of wilderness and coastal towns, with stops and festivals in bloom to honour a flower that has become the symbol of the Côte d'Azur. You'll be in tune with the yellow pompons that light up the landscape, delight the eye and perfume the air. This is the perfect opportunity to discover villages on stilts, gardens with their feet in the water or the flower floats of the corsos. A colourful and festive interlude in the heart of winter... heralding the imminent arrival of spring.
*Some flowering corsos in 2024: From 3 to 4 February in Sainte-Maxime, on the Bay of Saint Tropez. From 14 to 18 February at Mandelieu-la-Napoule, near Cannes. 18 February at Bormes-les-Mimosas, between Toulon and Saint-Tropez.
The most festive: Nice Carnival
Mimosa, daisies, carnations, roses, lilies thrown to the public... The Battle of the Flowers is a highlight of the Nice Carnival and a nod to the city's horticultural history. The biggest festival on the Côte d'Azur also includes a carnival-style corso (parade), with floats competing in creativity, with dizzying figures up to twenty metres high. Finally, on magical evenings, the Promenade des Anglais is lit up by five illuminated corsos. The last is marked by the cremation of the King of Carnival. The theme of the 2024 edition is "Pop Culture".
*See you from 17 February to 3 March 2024. Nice Carnival
The most dazzling: the Menton Lemon Festival
The programme of the Lemon Festival in Menton includes floats decorated with masterful citrus compositions and animated by groups - parading along the Promenade du Soleil, day and night corsos, exhibitions of orange and lemon motifs in the Biovès gardens, floral exhibitions with the Orchid Festival to be discovered at the Palais de l'Europe, street entertainment... For 15 days, the town celebrates its golden fruit with a touch of madness. The gardens and hills of Menton and its mild winters provide a unique terroir for sweet, mild IGP lemons that you'll want to bite into. And that's not all: the festivities take place at the height of the citrus season, giving you the opportunity to visit a citrus grove or stroll through the town's remarkable gardens (Maria Serena, Fontana Rosa or Val Rahmeh). With the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games just a few months away, the 90th edition of the Lemon Festival promises to be a sporting affair with the theme "From Olympia to Menton".
*From 17 February to 3 March 2024 Celebrate the Fête du Citron in Menton
The sportiest: the Trail des Merveilles
The Roya Valley, in the hinterland of Menton, is made up of olive groves and pine and larch forests. This is the setting for the Trail des Merveilles, which starts in Breil-sur-Roya. Over a distance of around 30 kilometres, with a positive difference in altitude of 2,000 metres, the race takes competitors along wild paths with views of the snow-capped peaks of the Mercantour National Park and the Mediterranean Sea. A shorter, more accessible 17-kilometre route will delight lovers of running and beautiful scenery. Ready, set, go!
*5 March 2024 Take part in the Trail des Merveilles, in the Roya Valley
By Charlotte Cabon
Journalist
