Nice Jazz Festival

The World's Jazz Cradle Since 1948

The Nice Jazz Festival holds a unique place in music history: it is quite simply the world's first jazz festival. Born in February 1948, six years before Newport and ten years before Monterey, it has seen the greatest names in jazz perform on its stages, from Louis Armstrong and Django Reinhardt at the very first edition, to Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, and Herbie Hancock over the decades. This historic first edition was held at the Casino Municipal on Place Masséna and the Opéra de Nice, with several concerts broadcast live by French Radio.

Two Iconic Stages in the Heart of the City

Since its return to the city center, the Nice Jazz Fest takes over two legendary venues: Place Masséna, a vast open-air square bordered by ochre and red buildings, and the Théâtre de Verdure, a green haven nestled in the Albert Ier Garden, a stone's throw from the Promenade des Anglais. These two stages offer complementary atmospheres—the collective energy of the grand square and the intimacy of the open-air theater—and host around twenty concerts spread over four evenings.

A Program Balancing Jazz Heritage and Musical Openness

While jazz remains the festival's DNA, the program has significantly broadened over the years. The 2024 edition, held from August 20th to 23rd, featured an eclectic lineup including NAS, Phoenix, Sampha, Jungle, and Yannis & The Yaw, blending hip-hop, rock, electro, and soul with jazz. The 2025 edition, from July 24th to 27th, continued this openness with RAYE, the British phenomenon with six Brit Awards, -M- (Matthieu Chedid), Polo & Pan, Mustard, Freddie Gibbs, John Scofield, Avishai Cohen, China Moses, and Sullivan Fortner. The festive village La Merenda, hosted by JoeyStarr, the after-show parties under the stars, and the Kids Club for children complete the experience.

78th Edition in 2026: An Ever Bolder Festival

For its 78th edition, from July 23rd to 26th, 2026, the Nice Jazz Fest promises an "ever richer and bolder" program, with 28 concerts across the two iconic stages of Masséna and the Théâtre de Verdure. The festival continues to assert its unique identity: that of an event rooted in jazz history but resolutely focused on contemporary creation, in one of the most beautiful natural settings on the Mediterranean.

International Reach on the Côte d'Azur

A flagship event of the Nice summer, the Nice Jazz Festival contributes to the cultural influence of the Côte d'Azur and attracts an international audience each year, comprising jazz lovers, the curious, and families. Its proximity to the Promenade des Anglais, the Old Town, and the port of Nice makes it an ideally located festival, combining music, heritage, and Mediterranean lifestyle.