We are fortunate to have access to so many varied music events and festivals on the French Riviera and after the grand events for Jazz à Juan, Fête de la Musique, Nice Jazz Festival, and Festival Nuits de Sud (whew!) my next local recommendation would be for Nuits Carrées.
Nuits Carrées 2015
Since it’s inception, Nuits Carrées is one of my favourite weekends of music for various reasons including:
- Entry price – no huge entry fee, it costs just 10€ for one evening (via presales, or €12 at the entrance gate). A low price doesn’t mean a dip in music quality either – the range and duration of artists is top level.
- Location – amazing setting at the amphithêatre at Fort Carré in Antibes
- Eco-responsible – they make efforts for a sustainable and eco-friendly approach to music events
- Accessible to all – people of all levels of mobility can come here; the venue entrance, refreshments area and toilets are wheelchair-friendly. The amphithêatre itself has graduated steps but you can still find a place to view the acts.
- Music – the 2015 line-up is strong on hip-hop, but usually there is a good cross-section of musical tastes including electro, hip-hop, funk, jazz. It’s an aural rollercoaster and I love it.
festival crowd, Nuits Carrées
Nuits Carrées is an eco-festival of sorts; you purchase a reusable ‘eco cup’ when you arrive and refill it through the evening to recycle at the end. No discarded styrofoam cups or aluminium cans littering the ground here.
You will appreciate that the toilets are eco-friendly; instead of those horrible smelly Portaloos with chemicals that are regular features at music festivals. The toilets are constructed of chip-board and there are buckets of sawdust – yes, sawdust – to tip into the bowl afterwards. No odour and much more pleasant. If you have reduced mobility there is a wheelchair-accessible toilet with ramp.
This year the festival billing includes huge French hip-hop group IAM, soul/funk/jazz group John Milk, pop/electro artist Sage and American hip-hop MC Oddisee.
Would you like to be here enjoying music at this festival as the sun sets?
WHAT: Nuits Carrées
WHEN: Friday 03 July and Saturday 04 July, doors open from 7pm until late
WHERE: Amphithêatre at Fort Carré, avenue du 11 novembre, 06600 Antibes
How to get there:
By car: There are two free public carparks nearby the festival entrance, though limited carpark spaces.
By train: Antibes train station is less than 10 minutes walking distance to the festival. Exit the train station, and at the traffic lights just outside the station walk downhill on the road to the left, then follow the footpath to the left all the way past the port to Fort Carré.
By bus: From Cannes or Nice directions, take bus 200 and there is a stop in Antibes near the Antibes train station, then you can cross the railway overbridge and walk to the festival from the train station. From Cannes, get off the 200 bus at the Pôle d’echanges bus terminal beside the Antibes train station. From Nice, the 200 stop is ‘Passerelle’ outside Hotel Le Collier. Get off the bus here and cross the road to Antibes train station, follow the directions above from the train station.
NOTE: The festival finishes at 2.30am each night and public transport will not be running at that time, so you will have to make other arrangements to get back home (or to your accommodation if you are a tourist).
My tips: Take a small torch for later in the evening, the toilets have flood lighting in the general area but it is dim. Take cash for the bar and restaurant.
Visit the official festival website for details on where to purchase tickets and the line-up for both nights www.nuitscarrees.com
Access Riviera 