The allure of living on the Côte d’Azur is being able to brag about the 300 days of sunshine. And what better way to end 2025 or start the new year by taking part in the Bain de Noël 2025 and Bain du Nouvel An 2026 hosted by many towns along the coast!
So “don we now our gay apparel” (or a fur-kini, if you dare) and take the plunge!
Villeneuve-Loubet : Bain de Noël
When: Sunday, 21 December from 9am | Holiday plunge at 11am!
Where: Plage de la Fighière
Courtesy Ville de Villeneuve-Loubet
Presented by the Festival Committee, the Tourist Office and with the participation of the Sea Rescuers. Festivities include: pastries, mulled wine, hot chocolate, coffee, tea, musical ambiance and rescue dog demonstration.
Nice : Bain de Noël
When: Sunday, 21 December from 10.30am | Holiday plunge at 11:45am!
Where: Plage du Ruhl
Courtesy Ville de Nice
Festivities include: parade of the traditional fishing boats with the boatmen of the seagull; parade of kayaks from the sea club; performance from La Floriane Dance Compagnie; and swimming races!
Villefranche-sur-Mer : Bain de Noël
When: Sunday, 21 December from 11am!
Where: Plage des Marinières
Courtesy Mairie de Villefranche-sur-Mer
Festivities include: hot chocolate and mulled wine after the plunge, plus music performance from the Harmonie Fanfare (Brass Band) of Villefranche-sur-Mer!
Beaulieu-sur-Mer : Bain de Noël
When: Sunday, 21 December from 11am!
Where: Plage des fourmis
Courtesy Mairie de Beualieu-sur-Mer
Festivities include: hot chocolate for the swimmers!
Monaco : Bain de Noël
When: Wednesday, 24 December from 10am!
Where: Plage du Larvotto
Courtesy Association Les Amis du Bain de Noël de Monaco
Benefits the “Monaco Liver Disorder” organization.
Vaullauris Golfe-Juan : Bain du Nouvel An
When: Thursday, 1 January from 11am!
Where: Plage du Soleil/Picasso
Start off your New Year’s resolutions and celebrate the start of the year!
Antibes : Bain du Jour de l’An
When: Thursday, 1 January from 11am!
Where: Plage de la Salis
Hot drinks and pastries will be offered afterwards!
Menton : Bain du Nouvel An
When: Sunday, 4 January from 9.30am | New Year Plunge at 11am!
Where: Plage des Sablettes, voûte n°1
Courtesy Ville de Menton
Presented by the Menton City Sports Department, participants will receive a Christmas t-shirt and hat. A snack will be served after the plunge!
The Birth of the Bain de Noël
The popularity of the winter plunge into the Mediterranean Sea is often attributed to Tobias George Smollett, a Scottish surgeon and writer. Smollett was a well-regarded writer often regarded to have influenced writers such as Charles Dickens. Smollett was also known for his English translation of Miguel Cervantes’ Don Quixote.
Tobias Smollett – By Unidentified painter – National Portrait Gallery: NPG 1110, Public Domain, link
In 1763, Smollett travelled to Nice (then still a part of the Kingdom of Sardinia) in an attempt to convalesce both physically from an illness and emotionally from the recent loss of his 15 year old son. What was supposed to be just an overnight stay, Smollett ended up staying for two years.
Not only did he find the climate beneficial for his health, his medicinal treatment also included regular cold baths in the Mediterranean as an alternative balneotherapy option. (Balneotherapy is a method of treating diseases by bathing as therapy, usually at spas, thermal springs, and public baths.) In addition to the high temperatures, low temperatures was said to offer different therapeutic effects.
By Tobias Smollett – Hathi Trust, Public Domain, link
So, he wrote of his regular cold water treatments and travels and in 1766 published Travels through France and Italy. The popularity of his book enticed many British aristocrats and by the mid to late 18th century, Nice quickly became the continental destination.
Nice was annexed to France in 1792, and by this time, the influx of British aristocrats have now become a prominent feature, much like the Mediterranean sand, sun and surf. In 1820, the large British tourist community proposed a construction of a walkway alongside the beach. Funded by the Reverend Lewis Way and members of Holy Trinity Anglican Church, the City of Nice increased the scope of the promenade and called it Camin deis Anglés (the English Way in Niçois). By 1860, it was finally renamed to La Promenade des Anglais as we know it today.
To Plunge or Not to Plunge
It doesn’t matter that you hate Christmas or disrobing in front of strangers wearing silly reindeer antlers or already jaded that you know your New Year’s Resolution will self-combust on Day One, the festivities of the Bain de Noël or Bain du Nouvel An can be just purely a spectator sport for you.
Video via France 3 Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur on YouTube
As for me, as this is my first one, I am not sure yet whether I will take the plunge. I mean, how often do I get to boast to my American family and friends that I was on the beach in December.
Regardless of whether I partake in a full plunge, I will surely be somewhat ready, wearing my Miss America crown to at least splash my ankles in the water and pretend it’s my first day of reign. What can I say, I love pageants!
Lead image RIVIERA BUZZ; all other images as credited
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