Nice Jazz Festival

Nice Jazz Festival: Le Jardin by Kalanztiscope



Roman ruins of Cimiez

Nice in July is crammed with events but the oldest and most prestigious is undoubtedly the Nice Jazz Festival. Held in the Roman ruins of the Jardins de Cimiez, the Nice Jazz Festival has been going strong since 1948. Louis Armstrong was the headliner that year and subsequent years have seen great jazz artists like Dizzy Gillespie, Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Diana Krall and McCoy Tyner mount the stage.

From the late 1990s through 2007, the festival turned to pop, world and electro music to increase attendance but under the new leadership of Gerard Druout, there has been a return to the original format of jazz, jazz, and more jazz.

Practical Guide to the Festival

Venues

There are two venues at the Jardins de Cimiez: Le Jardin and Scene Matisse. The two venues contain stages and are connected by walkways. Admission includes both venues; there's no problem wandering from one to the other.

Le Jardin is a wide open field dotted with olive trees. There is no seating but lots of space and lots of speakers to make sure that outer edges of the fiels are well-supplied with music. This venue is particularly well-suited to multi-piece energetic groups. Many people bring blankets and picnic on the grass. Scene Matisse is in the Roman arenas, a smaller space bounded by the remains of stone walls. There are folding chairs.

Refreshment

A number of stalls sell Nice specialites like Socca as well as sandwiches, meat stew, beer and wine. The selection is limited so it's a good idea to bring your own nibblies.

Buying Tickets

You can buy tickets online at the Nice Jazz Festival website or at any Fnac, Carrefour or Geant store. You can also buy tickets on site (it's never sold out) but there's a €2 surcharge.

Getting to the Festival

Public transport is the most practical way of getting to the Nice Jazz Festival. There are frequent free shuttle buses that run from the Place Massena to Cimiez during the festival or you can take bus no. 22 to the stop Les Arenes (see more about getting around Nice). Forget about parking.

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