New Year’s Eve 2026 on the French Riviera

By the ULTIMATE French Riviera Editorial Team

A gala night on La Croisette: the Réveillon de Stars

The grandest public party on the coast takes place inside the Palais des Festivals, home of the film festival. The Lions Club Cannes Europe holds its 30th Réveillon de Stars in the Salon des Ambassadeurs: Champagne and a surprise gift from 8.30pm, the cabaret show “Paris Rêverie” from 10.30pm to 11.40pm, then dancing to the Grand Orchestre Baie des Anges from 11.45pm until 4am.

There are two all-inclusive dinners. The Dîner de Gala, at €310, runs to five courses, from foie gras and a seafood course to capon, dessert, coffee and petits fours; the Dîner de Prestige, at €265, is the same without the seafood course. Children under 12 pay €150. Wine and water are included, and Champagne de Castellane flows from dessert onwards. Cocktail or evening dress is required.

Our advice: book through the Palais ticket office and say then where you would like to sit; the station is five minutes’ walk away, so leave the car at home.

Palais des Festivals: Réveillon de Stars →

Ballet, dance and theatre on 31 December

At the Opéra Nice Côte d’Azur, the Ballet de l’Opéra de Nice closes its run of The Sleeping Beauty, choreographed by Pontus Lidberg to Tchaikovsky’s score, with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Nice, at 6pm on New Year’s Eve (€11–47; about two hours with an interval). The early curtain leaves the whole evening free for dinner.

In Cannes, the Grand Auditorium of the Palais des Festivals stages Murmuration – Level 2, Sadeck Berrabah’s hip-hop choreography for some 30 dancers, light and geometry, from 8.30pm to 9.45pm (€37–65).

In Nice, three theatres play New Year’s Eve shows in French: Burlesque Follies at the Théâtre de la Cité, a cabaret with two glasses and a dance party (€80); the comedy Réveillon à la morgue at the Théâtre l’Alphabet, at 6.15pm and 9.30pm (€30.50–42); and the cult comedy Le Père Noël est une ordure at the Théâtre de l’Eau Vive, at 9pm (€14.50).

Our advice: the Opéra’s 31 December seats were still available when we checked; the early December performances are almost sold out, so do not leave it late.

Opéra Nice Côte d’Azur: La Belle au bois dormant →   Palais des Festivals: Murmuration – Level 2 →   Côte d’Azur France: Burlesque Follies →   Côte d’Azur France: Réveillon à la morgue →   Côte d’Azur France: Le Père Noël est une ordure →

Nice at the turn of the year

Noël à Nice fills Place Masséna and the Jardin Albert 1er from 25 November 2026 to 3 January 2027, every day, with more than 60 chalets selling Christmas gifts, mulled wine, oysters and socca; entry is free, according to the tourist office. When we checked, the city had not announced any fireworks or programme for the night of 31 December 2026.

Our advice: an evening at the market, dinner in Vieux Nice and a walk along the Promenade des Anglais to the sea at midnight is a fine way to welcome 2027.

Nice Côte d’Azur Tourist Office: Noël à Nice →   Christmas on the French Riviera →

New Year concerts and the first days of 2027

On Friday 1 January 2027 at 8pm, the City of Antibes presents its New Year concert at anthéa, the theatre in Antibes: the Orchestre national de Cannes and its conductor Holly Hyun Choe play Haydn’s “Farewell” Symphony, Richard Strauss, Karłowicz, Ibert’s Divertissement and Ligeti’s Concert Românesc (about 1 hour 45 minutes with an interval).

The orchestra repeats the programme at the Théâtre Debussy in the Palais des Festivals, Cannes, on Saturday 2 January at 7.30pm (€43–60; €10 for under-26s). Earlier on New Year’s Day, at 4pm, Murmuration – Level 2 returns to the Palais’s Grand Auditorium.

Our advice: Haydn’s “Farewell”, in which the players leave the stage one by one, is a witty way to close the old year’s festivities.

anthéa Antibes: Concert du Nouvel An →   Palais des Festivals: Concert du Nouvel An →   Palais des Festivals: Murmuration, 1 January →

Still to come, and how to plan

When we checked, the palace hotels had not yet published their New Year’s Eve 2026 programmes on their own sites: the Carlton Cannes offers a festive-season stay from 27 November 2026 to 3 January 2027, but no New Year’s Eve dinner details; the Negresco, the Martinez and the Casino Barrière Le Ruhl had nothing for 2026 that we could read. Many of the grandest addresses, including the Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc, close for the winter.

We found no official 2027 date for a New Year sea swim on the Riviera, and Antibes had not yet announced its 2027 New Year fireworks. We will add them when the towns publish them.

Our advice: reserve palace dinners as soon as they open; the TER coast trains link Cannes, Antibes, Nice and Menton, so check the 31 December timetable before you plan the journey home.

Carlton Cannes: festive season →

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