The May 8th 2026 long weekend lines up nicely on the French Riviera. Friday is a public holiday. Plus Saturday and Sunday: 3 full days to enjoy spring sun.
By early May, the Côte d'Azur usually hits its first 25-degree afternoons. The mistral has eased. Light recovers all its intensity.
What to do with it? The Alpes-Maritimes plays the contrast card this year. A long-running floral event in Grasse on one hand. A charity rock festival in Nice on the other. Here is a two-stop tour.
ExpoRose in Grasse — the May rose takes over the city, 7 to 10 May
Few events feel more rooted in their territory. ExpoRose has celebrated the Rosa centifolia every year since 1973. That famed rose de mai built Grasse's perfume fortune.
For 4 days, from Thursday 7 to Sunday 10 May, the world capital of perfume turns into an open-air garden. The numbers say it all: 8,500 roses in bouquets, 13,000 rose bushes for sale, 25,000 cut roses.
Fountains, alleys and squares of the historic centre disappear under the petals. Place aux Aires and the Notre-Dame-du-Puy cathedral are fully dressed in roses.
Why go? The programme stretches well beyond the floral display. A flower market with local growers, composition workshops for kids, distillation demos, concerts in private courtyards, screenings on the perfume trade, guided tours of private gardens.
Admission is free, which keeps the outing open to every budget. It draws as many local Riviera residents as international travellers planning their holidays around it. See the festival page.
Rockfest 1 Max de Bruit in Nice — 3 nights of saturated guitars at the Théâtre de Verdure
Total mood swing 35 km away, on the coast. The Rockfest 1 Max de Bruit takes over Nice's Théâtre de Verdure from Friday 8 to Sunday 10 May.
3 open-air nights of rock, punk and metal. The event has run for over 12 years. Its quirk changes everything: 100% of profits go to charities supporting sick kids.
The Lenval Foundation, Nice's paediatric hospital, is a long-standing beneficiary. About 15 bands share the bill. The mix works well: solid tribute acts and original lineups from the South of France region.
The open-air format, right next to the Vieux-Nice, makes it easy to combine evening gigs with daytime strolls along the Promenade des Anglais.
Who is it for? Fans of alternative scenes. Families too, looking to introduce teens to a rock festival. Ticket prices stay deliberately low, so nobody gets priced out. See the festival page.
