©Back view of a crowded audience on a music festival with their arms raised.|IStock

The biggest summer festivals on the Côte d'Azur

Inseparable from summer on the Côte d’Azur, festivals draw huge crowds every year and help make our region a magnet for tourists. Jazz, dance, electro, chanson, rock… all the genres are represented, with some very attractive line-ups.

LA CRÈME FESTIVAL | VILLEFRANCHE-SUR-MER

📆 from 20 to 22 June 2025

The Crème Festival in Villefranche-sur-Mer is an unmissable cultural event that ignites the senses and delights art lovers every year. Nestled on the Côte d’Azur, this vibrant festival celebrates creativity in all its forms. The narrow streets of Villefranche are transformed into a living canvas where artists, musicians, dancers and actors come together to deliver spellbinding performances. For three days, the Crème Festival pays tribute to the identity and authenticity of the Côte d’Azur. On the programme: sea outings, yoga classes, spotlighting the current music scene, dj sets, local gastronomy… Day or night, the Crème Festival invites you to a unique environment between your feet in the sand and the Citadelle.

Authenticity, art de vivre, music scenes, outdoor activities, local gastronomy… come and live “the Crème experience”!

The Crème Festival in Villefranche-sur-Mer is a true celebration of art, culture and joie de vivre, leaving unforgettable memories for the lucky visitors who are lucky enough to attend.

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PLAGES ÉLECTRONIQUES | CANNES

📆 from 08 to 10 August 2025

Since 2006, les Plages Électroniques à Cannes, one of Europe’s biggest “beach parties”, attracts festival-goers from all over the world, who come to sway on the most beautiful beach on the Croisette and on the roof of the Palais des Festivals!

3 days of partying, 15 hours of non-stop music, 40,000m2 of dancefloor, 4 stages, 3 After Parties until 5am, over 60 guest artists from the French and international electronic scene, a veritable festival village on the Palais forecourt, a dancefloor on fire from 2pm, over 40,000 festival-goers eagerly awaiting this not-to-be-missed event on the Côte d’Azur!

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LE MAS DES ESCARAVATIERS | PUGET-SUR-ARGENS

📆 from 30 May to 28 August 2025

Concerts with your head in the stars, beside a swimming pool, in the garden of a Provencal mas…

But also parties, sound brunches, pool parties… in an enchanting setting and friendly atmosphere!

The Mas des Escaravatiers has an identity of its own in the music festival landscape.

Concerts take place amidst vineyards and olive groves, in an intimate setting concerned with preserving quality and conviviality.

The Mas des Escaravatiers is an exceptional venue, with an open mindset that makes it easy to meet and chat, people come here in the evening for concerts, but also on Sundays for sound brunches around the pool.

It’s a recipe for happiness, in a way, and it’s been working for over ten years!

Artists feel at home here, keep coming back, and we keep coming back for more.

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NICE JAZZ FEST’

📆 from 24 to 27 July 2025

The Nice Jazz Festival, now renamed Nice Jazz Fest’ for a modern twist, promises to be an exceptional event in 2024, celebrating its 77th anniversary with an eclectic line-up that attracts jazz enthusiasts from around the world.

This iconic festival transforms the charming city of Nice into a vibrant stage where the haunting melodies of contemporary and classic jazz resonate. This year, the festival welcomes jazz legends as well as promising new talent, offering unforgettable performances in iconic venues such as the Théâtre de Verdure and Place Masséna.

As well as concerts, the festival offers workshops, meetings with artists and exhibitions, making Nice Jazz Fest’ 2025 a must-see event for music and culture lovers.

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SOIRÉES ESTIVALES | Département des alpes-maritimes

📆 from 27 June to 31 August 2025

Les Soirées Estivales embody a fine example of cultural solidarity in the département, while stimulating the economy of the communes of the Moyen and Haut Pays. Since 1996, this singular event in France has offered free shows scattered across the region, showcasing the wealth of local artistic talent, with over 90% of participants coming from the Alpes-Maritimes.

For its 29th edition, the département will become a huge open-air stage, where over 1,500 artists and technicians will offer unforgettable evenings. The eclectic programme, combining jazz, blues, rock, French songs, classical and traditional music, theatre, comedy and magic, guarantees exceptional quality for all audiences.

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LES NUITS DU SUD | Vence

📆 from 10 to 19 July 2025

Discover the unique atmosphere in the heart of the historic town of Vence. The festival Nuits du Sud in Vence, scheduled from 10 to 19 July 2025, offers an audacious programme that skilfully blends big names in music with promising new talent. True to its essence, the event stands out once again by revealing new artists while welcoming renowned international figures.

Always on the lookout for new trends, the festival embodies an open mind and a constant quest for novelty, while maintaining a strong cultural identity unique to the Alpes-Maritimes. This cultural diversity is an essential pillar of its unique charm.

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ZAMNA – FRÉJUS

After an outstanding first edition, Zamna returns to Fréjus on August 1 and 2 2025 for two days of electronic immersion. Originating in Tulum, the festival has become a global benchmark for its spectacular stage designs and demanding line-ups. In the natural setting of the Nature Base, more than 30 artists will thrill audiences, including ANYMA in a DJ set on Friday and ARTBAT on Saturday.

Alongside them: Marco Carola, Mind Against, Korolova, Andrea Oliva, Gordo, Âme, Shimza, Ilario Alicante, Mëstiza, Arodes, Øostil, and many others. An organic, futuristic stage design, large-scale performances and a production on a par with the biggest international events. Zamna is sure to be one of the must-see events of the techno summer in Europe.

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Jazz à Juan

📆 from 10 to 20 July 2025

The 63rd festival de jazz de Juan-les-Pins will take place from 8 to 18 July 2024 at the Pinède Gould in a magnificent setting just a stone’s throw from the beach. The headliners will include artists such as Manu Katché, Toto, Laufey, Tiken Jah Fakoly, Adi Oasis, Pink Martini, Marcus Miller, Kool & The Gang, and many more…

For your information: The first “Jazz à Juan”, created as a tribute to a famous Antibois by adoption who was none other than Sidney Bechet, was at the origin of many other festivals that spread throughout Europe. Claude Nobs, the inventor of Montreux, said it himself: “If I hadn’t passed through Antibes, Montreux wouldn’t exist”. The concept was revolutionary. For the first time, the general public could discover the main players in this great saga that jazz already was.

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MONTE-CARLO SUMMER FESTIVAL

📆 from 5 July to 15 August 2025

Since its creation in 1974, the Monte-Carlo Summer Festival has welcomed the biggest stars, that’s its trademark.

It is the heir to more than 150 years of enchantment, and continues, through its exceptional programming, to make Monaco, the Salle des Étoiles, the Place du Casino and the Opéra Garnier Monte-Carlo, the must-see venues for summer evenings.

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MENTON MUSIC FESTIVAL

📆 from 22 July to 08 August 2025

74th edition for this prestigious festival which sees the greatest orchestras, the most famous musicians and the most beautiful voices of our time perform on the square in front of the Saint-Michel basilica. Perched above the sea, dominated by the façade and bell tower of a Baroque church marvel, protected by the age-old sword of the statue of Saint Michael and covered by the starry sky, the Festival de Musique de Menton has been welcoming the world’s greatest classical artists for seventy years.

Created by André Böröcz, directed by Paul-Emmanuel Thomas, the Festival de Menton is one of the oldest and most prestigious in Europe.

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FESTIVAL CROSSOVER | NICE

📆 from 5 to 7 September 2025

The Crossover, a name that means “crossroads” in French, represents the coming together of different musical genres. Mixing rap, electro, rock, hip-hop and more, this festival offers a rich and varied listening experience for all music lovers, whatever their preferred style.

Created by the association Panda Events, the Crossover Festival has for over 10 years taken over atypical and novel venues in the Nice conurbation (the old abattoirs, the Opera House, the Colline du Château, the Villa Arson, the Chapelle de la Providence). The festival recently found a new home at the Théâtre de Verdure en plein air. This bucolic and pleasant setting, situated by the sea and surrounded by palm trees and cypresses, is reminiscent of the architecture of Ancient Greece.