Festivals in Southern France

Festivals in southern France are some of the most famous and are in places where the rich and famous congregate. Yet, there are a few smaller local festivals that showcase the area.

Cannes Film Festival

The Cannes Film Festival takes place in May every year and is the most prestigious film festival in the world. It brings in celebrities, directors, and the general public to view films and critique them. The Golden Palm is given for the best film. Cannes is usually a quite little town but during the time of the festival it is transformed to an area of opulence and glamor.

Nice Jazz Festival

In Nice about 45,000 people gather for the Nice Jazz Festival every summer. Concerts are held every night from 7 p.m. until midnight in the Arenes de Cimiez. The arena's 3 stages draw thousands of musicians as well as people from all over the world. This festival has been around since 1948 and Count Basie, Miles Davis and Dizzy Gillespie are some of the famous musicians who have taken part in the performances.

Wine Festivals

Southern France is known for wine and wineries and is the perfect setting for wine festivals. In Chateauneuf du Papes,  the Veraison wine festival is one of the best in the area and there is plenty competition between wineries. It takes place in August to celebrate the harvest. There is more than just wine tasting. It takes the guise of a Renaissance faire with jousters, jugglers, fire eaters, sword fight demonstration and a street fair. There is also a lot of singing and fun.

Sardine Festival

Every summer the Sardine Festival takes place in Martigues. Sardines and mussels are the staple foods around the seaports of southern France and the festivals run during the end of June until end of August. Here you can get all the mussels and sardines you want, along with calamari and other interesting foods to eat in addition to seafood. There is entertainment as well. Each little seaport has its own festival so there is a lot to see and do. For example, you can buy sardines that are fried, prepared in a tomato sauce, served with garlic, or barbecued as well as sardines that have been prepared in a variety of other ways. 

International Festival

Latour de France is a small town in southern France on the banks of the Agly river. It is very close to the old Spanish border and first had an international festival of music and arts in 1993. It has been held each year since then. Then venue is the village church, Notre Dame des Anges, and an outdoor theater that was built specifically for the festival in 1999 called Theatre de Verdure Gilbert Pelissier.  The festival takes place every year around mid-July.

The festivals in southern France are as unique as is the area. You will surely be able to find one that will be just the thing for you to go and see.