Summer may be winding down on the Côte d’Azur, but there’s still plenty to enjoy. Here are our suggestions for things you can do this week, from hinterland to coast.
Summer here isn’t just a stretch of warm days — it’s an experience steeped in tradition and allure – around every corner, another wonder waits to be discovered.
Whether a discerning local or a visitor in search of that once-in-a-lifetime, sun-drenched escape, your journey begins here.
So, without further ado, let’s dive into our taster of what’s on offer on the Côte d’Azur this week.
SATURDAY 23rd AUGUST
Start off your weekend with something (completely) different – get yourself along to Hautes de Cagnes for the 44th Championnat du monde de boules carrées! You may be familiar with pétanque, but this is taking it to another level altogether with square boules! A staple of the Cagnes-sur-Mer summer, this is a must-see event and a perennial favouite of locals since 1980.
The Grande Braderie des commerçants d’Antibes continues over the weekend with more than 100 shops sharing their summer bargains with you. There’ll be something for everyone, so be sure to take advantage! From 10am to 7pm daily.
Staying in Cagnes-sur-Mer, les Nuits d’Été at the Hippodrome de la Côte d’Azur come to an end tonight with the flagship event of the 2025 summer racing calendar with seven feature races.
This exceptional event will combine top-level equestrian sport, spectacular entertainment including a fireworks display, and the celebration of a significant anniversary: the 80th anniversary of Nice-Matin newspaper. Admission is €5, free for those under 18 – please note that you must book and pay online. Restaurants may also be booked online.
La Note Bleue Summer Festival in Monaco continues with second show featuring Afro-disco queen Oby Onyioha collaborating with Sai Galaxy. The concert starts at 9pm and reservations may be made by calling +377 93 500 502
Meanwhile, in La Colle sur Loup, we have a busy night starting off with a concert featuring WEAP and their homage to 70’s rock. Part of the Été Collois celebrations, the concert takes place in Placette du 8 mai at 7:30pm. Free admission. This is followed by DJ Ken Pop doing his thing at 9pm in Place de Gaulle.
The Fête boccassienne de la Saint-Barthélemy concludes tonight with a Soirée Mousse (a foam party!) Come savour the disco atmosphere with the Summer DJ Tour at 9pm in Espace Troncy in Cannes La Bocca.
SUNDAY 24th AUGUST
The Grande Braderie des commerçants d’Antibes concludes today so if you haven’t taken advantage, this is your final warning! The participating shops are open from 10am to 7pm this evening.
The Championnat du monde de boules carrées continues in Cagnes-sur-Mer today. If you haven’t experienced this before, we strongly recommend you make your way to Hautes de Cagnes. Seriously, you will thank us! Guaranteed fun for all the family and a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon.
Le Bal des Fous is back again this weekend with Le Bal de l’Amour, where love reigns! The Terrasse Riviera in the Palais des festivals et des congrès is the location for this not-to-be-missed event. Tickets may be reserved online but you need to act quickly, they are selling out faster than Cupid’s arrow!
More fireworks choreographed to music with the Festival pyromélodique in Antibes at 10 pm tonight. The display takes place along the seafront between Fort Carré and the beaches of La Brague for the Liberation Day ceremonies. Please note the traffic and parking restrictions in place.
The finale of the Festival d’Art Pyrotechnique takes place at 10pm in Cannes tonight, the culmination of a summer of competitive firework displays. Kervenka from France presents Maturity in the Spotlight (Out of Competition) featuring a mix of music from the likes of Michael Jackson, AC/DC, Pink and Eminem, amongst others. Free admission and a spectacular show is most definitely on the cards for this one.
MONDAY 25th AUGUST
Les Nocturnes de la Villa 2025 continue at Villa et Jardins Ephrussi de Rothschild with an evening featuring French trumpeter David Enhco and Swiss pianist Marc Perrenoud in a tribute to the great American jazz trumpeter Chet Baker. Tickets for the show cost €35 or you may opt for a picnic option for €60. Tickets may be reserved online but are nearly sold out.
We have more open air cinema at Théâtre de la Batterie in Beaulieu-sur-Mer tonight with a screening of The Bad Guys 2 (2025 | 1h43). This animated film is the French version and is suitable for children aged six and older. Movie starts at 8:45pm. Tickets cost €8.50 (reduced rates available) and may be purchased online.
Ciné Quartier in Cannes continues with Ma Mère, Dieu et Sylvie Vartan (2025 | 1h42). In 1963, Esther gave birth to Roland, the youngest of a large family. Roland was born with a clubfoot that prevented him from standing. Against everyone’s wishes, she promised her son that he would walk like everyone else and have a fabulous life. A film that tells a true, funny, and moving story, one of incredible destiny and the greatest love there is: that of a mother for her child. Screening at Place du Marché de la Bocca. Free admission. Film starts at 10pm.
Fréjus hosts the final fireworks display of the town’s Summer Fireworks programme. The display starts at 10:30pm in Port-Fréjus. Free entry.
TUESDAY 26th AUGUST
Further action from Les Nocturnes de la Villa 2025 tonight in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, with The Amazing Keystone Big Band with Neima Naouri and Pablo Campos, playing the music of George Gershwin. The 17 piece combo continues its mission to introduce jazz and improvised music to audiences of all ages. Tickets cost €35 or €60 for the picnic option and may be reserved online but are almost sold out.
Mandelieu-La Napoule welcomes Ziggy’s Band to Place de France for a David Bowie tribute concert, part of the Soirées Estivales du Département des Alpes Maritimes. The concert starts at 9pm and admission is free. Further information availble by calling 04 92 97 49 65 or by emailing culture@mairie-mandelieu.fr
There is a second serving of open air cinema at Théâtre de la Batterie in Beaulieu-sur-Mer tonight with a screening of the animated movie Marcel et Monsieur Pagnol (2025 | 1h30), which featured in Sélection Festival d’Annecy 2025 and Séances spéciales Cannes 2025. The screening which starts at 8:45pm is presented by Olivier Ronat. Tickets cost €8.50 (reduced rates available) and may be purchased online.
WEDNESDAY 27th AUGUST
More musical action from La Note Bleue Summer Festival in Monaco with Tamo Junto, the South of France’s most infamous Samba band! The concert starts at 6pm and reservations may be made by calling +377 93 500 502
Les Festives Electro continue in the Port de Fréjus tonight from 8:30pm with Harry Fisch. Free entry.
Cinémathèque Hors les Murs continues in the Port of Nice with an outdoor screening of the incredible Océans by Jacques Perrin & Jacques Cluzaud (2010 | 1h44 | French). Admission is free and limited places available.
THURSDAY 28th AUGUST
Le Suquet des Arts, one of the unmissable summer cultural events in Cannes, celebrates creativity in all its forms: from concerts, circus and street performances, to breakdancing, open-air cinema, workshops and visual arts activities. This two day event kicks off with a variety of happenings throughout the day in Le Suquet des Artistes, le musée des explorations du Monde and in Place de la Castre.
The final instalment of the 2025 Ciné Quartier event in Cannes is La Fille du Régiment, a comic opera in two acts by Gaetano Donizetti. A precursor to Offenbach, this military opera about a vivandière, Marie, adopted at birth by a French regiment, doubles as a sentimental fable and a comical confrontation between two opposing worlds, those of the bivouac and the aristocracy. The screening starts at 9pm in Place de la Castre in Cannes and is also part of Le Suquet des Arts programme.
Jazz Art Lympia concludes tonight in Port de Nice with an evening featuring one of the best pianists working in the region, and a living example of “jazz attitude”, none other that the great Ronnie Rae with the Ronnie Rae Project. The man himself will be accompanied (as always) by Nico Gomez (Bjorg-Lisa Steinfield) on bass and Stu Richie on drums.. Enjoy some great rooftop sounds, overlooking the port! Doors open at 7pm, performance starts at 8pm. Free admission, limited places.
Théâtre de Verdure – La Citadelle in Villefranche-sur-Mer plays host to Tribute ABBA For Ever. The concert, part of the Soirées Estivales du Département des Alpes Maritimes, starts at 9pm. Admission is free and there are limited places available.
FRIDAY 29th AUGUST
The summer of Pages à la Plage comes to an end in Cannes today. This initiative where you can borrow books for 48 hours to read on the beach was a huge success, by all accounts. Kudos to Ville de Cannes for promoting such activities.
Le Suquet des Arts continues in Cannes today with another action-packed programme. Definitely worth a vist of you are in or near Cannes.
The Ocean Race Europe arrives in Nice this weekend for a three day layover. With seven teams covering 4,500 nautical miles, the race is a real test for the crews involved. Outside of the sailing, there is an action-packed programme of events lined up, including an Ocean Live Park, live music shows, DJ sessions, science shows, and more for all to enjoy. For the sailing enthusiasts, there are chances to get up close and personal with the yachts and the crews with the Pit Lane and VIP Pit Lane experiences. Tickets may be reserved online. All the action takes place in the Port de Nice.
La Note Bleue Summer Festival in Monaco continues with Dr Wu, a French 10 piece ensemble and its Steely Dan tribute. The concert starts at 9pm and reservations may be made by calling +377 93 500 502
Sophia Tahi and band present Nina Simone’s Song, a concert dedicated to the great songstress. Expect an evening of soul, world music, jazz, and Afrobeat. Part of the 22nd « Jazz au Château » Festival at Place du Château in Cagnes-sur-Mer, the concert starts at 9pm and admission is free. Château-Musée Grimaldi and the Musée du Bijou Contemporain are both open especially for the occasion until 7pm, and there is also a free navette (the Nr 44) available from the bus station.
OTHER EVENTS & ATTRACTIONS
Monaco Open Air cinema continues with movies each night of the week.
Villefranche-sur-Mer also has a busy programme for its summer of open air cinema in the Théâtre de la Citadelle, running until 30th August. Movies start at 9:30pm and admission is €6. No reservations required. Tickets may only be purchased on site and payment is by cash or cheque only.
Une Journée à l’opéra continues at Opéra Nice Côte d’Azur until 31st August – come experience Nice Opera like you’ve never seen it before!
Les Nocturnes Cannoises conclude this coming week with the final gatherings taking place on Wednesday at Place du Marché de la Bocca and Thursday at Boulevard Jean Hibert. These evening craft markets feature local products and artisanal objects, blending oh so well with the mild summer evenings!
Les Soirées Estivales organised by Département des Alpes-Maritimes 06 continues throughout the summer with an amazing programme of events. Check out the programme and decide for yourself what you want to do or see – the list is almost endless!
There are also plenty of exhibitions on throughout the region, many of them coming to a close very soon. so do keep an eye on the dates!
Be sure to check out our roundups of the must-see exhibitions in Nice | Monaco | Cannes
Have a great week, wherever you are!
Lead image © RIVIERA BUZZ; all other images/photos as credited
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