Summer Evenings of the Alpes-Maritimes
Over 450 free shows in 158 towns in the Alpes-Maritimes all summer long
2026
About Summer Evenings
Summer Evenings — edition 2026
The 31st edition of the Soirées Estivales runs from June 26th to August 31st, 2026, across more than 150 towns in the Alpes-Maritimes. This year features over 500 completely free performances, involving some 1,500 artists and technicians. The summer program is built around four main pillars: the Soirées Estivales themselves, Jazz Art Lympia at the Nice port, the Folies des Lacs in La Colmiane, and the Festival des Mots. With a lineup spanning jazz, rock, classical, French chanson, world music, theater, dance, circus, magic, comedy, and cabaret, there is something for everyone, from the coastline to the Mercantour valleys.
Highlights Summer Evenings 2026
- Over 500 free performances in more than 150 towns, from June 26th to August 31st, 2026 — 31st edition
- Jazz Art Lympia (8th edition): Every Thursday from July 16th to August 20th at 8:00 PM, on the rooftop terrace of the Lympia Cultural Space, Nice port — featuring artists from the C. Heiting / L. Coeurdeuil Quartet to the Italian Spirit Trio
- Le Festival des Mots: Eight readings from July 17th to August 8th with Alice Pol, Denis Podalydès, Alice Taglioni, Nicole Garcia, Raphaël Quenard, Valérie Bonneton, Francis Huster, and Lionnel Astier
- Les Folies des Lacs: Sunday, July 19th, from 12:00 PM to 5:30 PM in La Colmiane, featuring a Brazilian theme
- Big night on August 28th: Eleven simultaneous shows, from Le Cannet to Roquebillière
- Most events are accessible to people with reduced mobility
Programme Summer Evenings 2026
Summer 2026 Highlights
Jazz Art Lympia — Thursdays, July 16th to August 20th, 2026
For its 8th edition, Jazz Art Lympia turns the rooftop terrace of the Lympia departmental cultural space, located at the Nice port, into an open-air jazz club. Concerts start at 8:00 PM, with doors opening at 7:00 PM. Admission is free, subject to availability.
- Thursday, July 16th — C. Heiting / L. Coeurdeuil Quartet · Soul and jazz standards, original compositions
- Thursday, July 23rd — Glam'Jazz · A century of jazz, from the 1920s to today
- Thursday, July 30th — Luz Do Samba · Samba and bossa nova
- Thursday, August 6th — Jazz on the Top's, special guest Nicolas Folmer · Jazz and pop standards
- Thursday, August 13th — Babel Swing Quartet · Fusion swing
- Thursday, August 20th — Italian Spirit Trio · Italian songs with a jazz twist
Le Festival des Mots — July 17th to August 8th, 2026
Eight open-air readings, eight towns, eight actors: the Festival des Mots puts the text front and center, stripped of elaborate sets or staging. Free admission.
- Friday, July 17th, 9:00 PM — Alice Pol, "Tout doit disparaître" · Villeneuve-Loubet, Auguste-Escoffier Cultural Center
- Saturday, July 18th, 8:30 PM — Denis Podalydès, "Scènes comiques" · Puget-Théniers
- Thursday, July 23rd, 6:00 PM — Alice Taglioni, "Le Chant du monde" by Jean Giono · Valberg
- Saturday, July 25th, 8:30 PM — Nicole Garcia, "Letter from an Unknown Woman" by Stefan Zweig · Gattières
- Monday, July 27th, 9:00 PM — Raphaël Quenard and Butch McKoy, "Clamser à Tataouine" · Mandelieu-la-Napoule
- Tuesday, July 28th, 9:00 PM — Valérie Bonneton, "Tender Is the Night" by F. Scott Fitzgerald · Cap d'Ail
- Tuesday, August 4th, 9:00 PM — Francis Huster and Callune Kippeurt, "Un cancre au Paradis" · Biot
- Saturday, August 8th, 8:30 PM — Lionnel Astier, "Colline" by Jean Giono · Venanson
Les Folies des Lacs — Sunday, July 19th, 2026, from 12:00 PM to 5:30 PM
A festive day in La Colmiane, themed around Brazil this year: samba will bring the Mercantour to life for an afternoon.
Soirées Estivales: Day-by-Day Schedule
Upcoming events until the end of the season. Unless otherwise noted, shows begin at 9:00 PM and admission is free.
Sunday, August 16th, 2026
- 9:00 PM — Zine Band Orchestra (traditional music) · Marie
- 9:00 PM — With U, U2 tribute (pop rock) · Auron
Monday, August 17th, 2026
- 9:00 PM — Rendez-vous, un souffle de France (French chanson) · Contes
- 9:00 PM — Les Inoubliables (French chanson) · Grasse
- 9:00 PM — Magnifico Queen (pop rock) · Roquebrune-Cap-Martin
Tuesday, August 18th, 2026
- 9:00 PM — Le Show Balavoine (French chanson) · Saint-Étienne-de-Tinée
- 9:00 PM — Guinguette Chic (world music) · Villeneuve-Loubet
Wednesday, August 19th, 2026
- 6:30 PM — GoldNBack (musical show) · Valberg
- 9:00 PM — Legends by Harpsody Orchestra (international variety) · Cap d'Ail
- 9:00 PM — Champs-Élysées (French chanson) · Levens
- 9:00 PM — Nardjes (international variety) · Saint-Martin-Vésubie
Thursday, August 20th, 2026
- 8:00 PM — Italian Spirit Trio · Nice, Lympia Cultural Space (Jazz Art Lympia)
- 9:00 PM — Cassonade (international variety) · Lucéram
- 9:00 PM — Sonora (international variety) · Massoins
- 9:00 PM — The Brazilian Love Affair (world music) · Saint-Dalmas-le-Selvage
Friday, August 21st, 2026
- 9:00 PM — La Banda A Cana (traditional music) · Toudon
- 9:00 PM — Legends by Harpsody Orchestra (international variety) · Pégomas
- 9:00 PM — Nardjes (international variety) · Touët-de-l'Escarène
- 9:00 PM — Céline Dion Tribute (international variety) · Villefranche-sur-Mer
- 9:00 PM — Un autre monde, Téléphone tribute (pop rock) · Falicon
- 9:00 PM — Angela Grey (jazz) · Gattières
- 9:00 PM — All Groove (blues) · La Grave de Peille
- 9:00 PM — Réveillon à la morgue (theater) · La Bollène-Vésubie
- 9:00 PM — Ciné-Guinguette (concert) · Collongues
- 9:00 PM — Adieu, je reste! by Théâtre de la Traverse (theater) · Beuil
- 9:30 PM — Lone Redneck (pop rock) · Guillaumes
Saturday, August 22nd, 2026
- 6:00 PM — Réveillon à la morgue by Théâtre L'Alphabet (theater) · Entraunes
- 9:00 PM — Angela Grey (jazz) · Saint-Martin-Vésubie
- 9:00 PM — Live Music Show 80 (variety) · Touët-de-l'Escarène
- 9:00 PM — Jo Kaiat Quartet featuring Irving Acao (world music) · Ilonse
- 9:00 PM — Stéphane Brunello (French chanson) · Le Bar-sur-Loup
- 9:00 PM — Ahinama (world music) · Les Ferres
- 9:00 PM — Les Inoubliables (French chanson) · Pierlas
- 9:00 PM — Swing With The Ladies (variety) · Puget-Théniers
- 9:00 PM — Cassonade (variety) · Bendejun
- 9:00 PM — Recitals by Samson François International Competition winners (classical) · Bouyon
- 9:00 PM — Better Sweet (international variety) · Breil-sur-Roya
Sunday, August 23rd, 2026
- 9:00 PM — Nardjes (international variety) · Aspremont
- 9:00 PM — Trio Allegria Band (international variety) · Gorbio
Tuesday, August 25th, 2026
- 9:00 PM — Sympathy (pop rock) · Venanson
- 9:00 PM — Bernard Persia sings Lamaznavour (French chanson) · Villeneuve-Loubet
Wednesday, August 26th, 2026
- 6:00 PM — Pacha & Pote (international variety) · Péone
- 9:00 PM — Les Françaises (French chanson) · Sospel
Thursday, August 27th, 2026
- 9:00 PM — Montmartre, m'entends-tu? (musical show) · Saint-André-de-la-Roche
Friday, August 28th, 2026
- 9:00 PM — Fascination, Jussanam Group (world music) · Contes
- 9:00 PM — Pop Legend (international variety) · Courmes
- 9:00 PM — L'opéra? et si vous l'adoriez? (classical) · La Gaude
- 9:00 PM — Manouches Swingsons (jazz) · Le Cannet
- 9:00 PM — Spuny Boys (pop rock) · Peillon
- 9:00 PM — Revue Showtime Riviera (revue) · Roquebillière
- 9:00 PM — Pacha & Pote (international variety) · Roure
- 9:00 PM — Girl Power, tribute to female pop rock stars (pop rock) · Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat
- 9:00 PM — Céline Dion Tribute (international variety) · Valdeblore
- 9:00 PM — Demain je me marie! by NHD Production (theater) · Castagniers
- 9:00 PM — Stéphane Delaurme sings Monsieur Charles Aznavour (French chanson) · Clans
Saturday, August 29th, 2026
- 9:00 PM — Fascination, Jussanam Group (world music) · Mandelieu-la-Napoule
- 9:00 PM — Speggi Gonzales (international variety) · Saint-Jean-la-Rivière
- 9:00 PM — Cuisine et dépendances by Compagnie Acte 3 (theater) · Saint-Sauveur-sur-Tinée
- 9:00 PM — Il était une fois Cloclo en live (musical show) · Touët-sur-Var
- 9:00 PM — Lu Barbalùcou (traditional music) · Biot
- 9:00 PM — Manouches Swingsons (jazz) · Castellar
- 9:00 PM — Acoustic Songs (French chanson) · Escragnolles
- 9:00 PM — Stéphane Delaurme sings Monsieur Charles Aznavour (French chanson) · La Trinité
- 9:00 PM — Spuny Boys (pop rock) · Bézaudun-les-Alpes
Prices Summer Evenings 2026
Practical information — Summer Evenings
Access
The Soirées Estivales is a touring festival held across more than 150 towns in the Alpes-Maritimes, ranging from the coast to the inland valleys. The full schedule, including dates, times, locations, and venues, is updated regularly on the Department's website: departement06.fr/programmation-les-evenements-culturels-de-lete. Each host town provides specific venue details on its own website and via local signage.
The vast majority of performances are accessible to visitors with reduced mobility.
Admission
All performances are completely free of charge. Entry is subject to capacity.
Schedule
Shows typically start at 9:00 PM. Some events are scheduled for the late afternoon (6:00 PM or 6:30 PM), while the Jazz Art Lympia concerts at the Nice port begin at 8:00 PM, with doors opening at 7:00 PM.
Contact
Toll-free number: 08 05 56 65 60 (free call, Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM)
Département des Alpes-Maritimes — 147 boulevard du Mercantour, 06200 Nice
Official website: departement06.fr
A unique cultural event in France
The Summer Evenings of the Alpes-Maritimes are a cultural initiative conceived and funded by the Department of Alpes-Maritimes since 1996. Unique in France for its scale, this initiative transforms the entire departmental territory into a vast open-air stage every summer. From late June to late August, over 450 free shows are scheduled in more than 158 towns, offering access to culture for everyone, regardless of geographical or financial background.
A multidisciplinary program for all audiences
The richness of the Summer Evenings lies in the diversity of its programming. Each evening offers shows suitable for all ages and tastes: jazz concerts, rock, classical music, French chanson, and world music, as well as theater, dance, circus, magic, comedy, and cabaret. The goal is to offer a high-quality cultural program that showcases local and regional artists while also welcoming national companies.
Exceptional settings
One of the major assets of the Summer Evenings is the diversity of the performance venues. The shows take place in authentic and enchanting settings: hilltop village squares, church forecourts, regional gardens and parks, seafronts, or castle courtyards. From the Mediterranean coast to the peaks of Mercantour, through the valleys of Vésubie, Tinée, and Roya, each town brings its unique character to the evenings it hosts.
Support for local artists
The Summer Evenings play an essential role in supporting local artistic creation. Each year, a call for applications is launched to artists and companies from the region. The selected shows benefit from wide dissemination throughout the departmental territory, offering creators exceptional visibility and performance conditions. This initiative contributes to the vitality of the cultural scene in the Alpes-Maritimes.
30 years of shared culture
In 2025, the Summer Evenings celebrated their 30th edition, confirming the sustainability and success of this departmental initiative. Over the years, the event has continued to grow, from a few dozen shows at its inception to over 450 today. This longevity demonstrates the attachment of residents and visitors to this summer event, which has now become an integral part of the cultural identity of the Alpes-Maritimes.
Where does it take place — Summer Evenings
Summer Evenings in brief
Other festivals near Nice
Festival-goer reviews
No review yet. Be the first!
No rating yet — be the first!
Were you there?
Share your experience with the community
Have you spotted an error or missing information?
Help us keep this listing up to date. Every suggestion is reviewed by our team before publication.
Festival-goer photos
No photo yet. Share yours!
5 photos max, 5 MB per photo (JPG, PNG, WebP)