Halloween is becoming more popular in France and the Côte d’Azur has plenty of options for fun activities on and around the actual Halloween date, Thursday 31st October.
Trick-or-treating from house to house isn’t that popular here as overseas, with children mostly going around village shops and towns.
Halloween falls during the Toussaint school holidays so you can be sure of finding something to suit all ages. The day after Halloween is Toussaint’s Day (All Saints Day), 1st November, and on this day French people visit cemeteries often taking chrysanthemums and pray for their deceased relatives and saints.
This isn’t an exhaustive list, but here are a few options for Halloween on the French Riviera this year:
Antibes
Antibes usually has an informal trick-or-treat walkaround whereby local children wander around the old town stores on 31st October asking for candy. Usually, early afternoon is best as the centre aère holiday programmes also do the rounds and by early evening the shop vendors are starting to get a bit tired and have run out of bonbons!
If you’re looking for something a bit different to do, artist Chris Cook will be running kids workshops where children can make eco-friendly Halloween decorations.
Details:
Kids Craft Workshops at Gallery Cook, 10 avenue Tournelli in Antibes
Wednesday 23rd October, Saturday 26th October or Wednesday 30th October from 2pm to 5pm
The craft workshops are recommended for ages 5 years and up. Cost is €10 per hour
Tickets: Reserve a place by phoning 06 16 59 31 64
Artist Chris Cook is running Halloween workshops where kids can make eco-friendly decorations
Cannes La Bocca
Fun City is an indoor play venue that’s perfect for rainy days or when your kids need to burn off energy. Their Cannes La Bocca venue is holding a Halloween night with magic show and disco.
Details:
Fun City Halloween 2019
Friday 25th October from 8pm to midnight
Kids: €20 each including entry to Fun City play zones, disco, magic show and kids menu (nuggets, crepe, candy)
Adults: €22 each as above with adult food option being lasagna and tarte au citron
Tickets: Pre-book by emailing them direct before 21st October at : contact@fun-city.fr
Fun City Cannes La Bocca is throwing a number of Halloween animations, including a party on the evening of 25th October
Châteauneuf Grasse
The 16th edition of ‘Fete de la Courge’ will take place on Sunday 20th October at place Clemenceau from 10am to 6pm. It’s a family-friendly day with live music, kids games and the place to see big courges!
More information is at: https://fr-fr.facebook.com/FeteDeLaCourge
Fête de la Courge will be held on 20th October in Châteauneuf
Le Rouret
Little monsters aged 5 to 12 years can head along to an afternoon Halloween party at the Thêatre du Rouret with facepainting, candy bar, and Halloween animations.
Details:
Le Rouret ‘Bal des Petits Monstres’ 2019
Wednesday 30th October from 3pm to 4.30pm
Kids: €5 each
Adults: €3 each
Tickets: Reserve your place with the Le Rouret Mairie on phone : 04 93 77 20 02
Bal des Petits Monstres in Le Rouret at Halloween
Monaco
Stars n Bars is well-known as being a good place to take kids if you’re in Monaco. During Grand Prix and the Monaco Yacht Show it’s a lively business networking and socialising hub, but outside of those events it’s a fun location to take kids of all ages.
For Halloween, they’re throwing a Spooktacular evening with trick or treat, a candy treasure hunt, photo booth, magician, inflatable castles, fire jugglers, candy floss and more. Fancy dress is prerequisite so take your kids along as vampires, mummies, zombies, skeletons etc!
Details:
Stars n Bars Halloween 2019
Thursday 31st October from 6pm to 9pm
Kids: 5-13 years are €27 each which includes animations and all-you-can-drink sodas/sirops.
Adults: 14 years upwards are €17 each which includes animations and all-you-can drink sodas/sirops.
There is a buffet on offer which is additional cost and will run on a ticket system.
Tickets: It’s advisable to buy your ticket in advance for Stars n Bars Halloween party as it is expected to be busy! Get your tickets here: Stars n Bars Halloween Party 2019
Stars n Bars will have lots of fun stuff happening for Halloween
Mougins
Mougins is aiming to appeal to different age groups for Halloween this year with a range of activities.
Details:
Mougins Halloween 2019
Wednesday 30th October and Thursday 31st October – various times
Kids: If you have young children, there are story sessions on Wednesday 30th October – babies to 3 years are at 10.30am and 3 years+ are held at 4pm. The story sessions are free of charge and will be held at Médiathèque de Tournamy Mougins et Médiathèque et Espace Jeux de Mougins-le-Haut
Kids aged 6-10 years can join a treasure hunt in Mougins village on Thursday 31st October from 5pm-7pm with the Seven Dwarfs and Snow White. The cost is €5 each and limited to 40 children.
Tweens and teenagers from 12 to 17 years are invited by the conseil municipal to a Halloween night ‘Soiree d’Enfer’ at the Salle de Courteline from 8pm to 11.30pm; there will be drinks and candy on offer.
Tickets: To reserve a place for the baby/toddler reading sessions, contact phone: 04 93 75 33 82. To reserve a place for the Seven Dwarfs treasure hunt, contact the Mougins Tourism Office on phone: 04 92 92 14 00. The teenagers ‘Soiree d’Enfer’ party is free entry.
Additionally, the Musée d’Art Classique Mougins is having Halloween tours at 3pm, 4pm, 5pm and 6pm on Thursday 31st October – you will meet the mummy and explore the museum in the dark! The cost is €7 per person including bon bons for kids in costume; there are limited places so you have to pre-book via email: reservations@mouginsmusee.com or phone: 04 93 75 18 22
You can visit the Musée d’Art Classique de Mougins in the dark on Halloween! Pre-booking necessary.
Nice
While the music industry memorabilia at their Nice restaurant may be lost on some younger kids (James Brown’s suit, a drum kit from Guns n Roses, Michael Jackson’s fedora from Smooth Criminal etc), nevertheless The Hard Rock Café is a good option for families with lots of neon and cool stuff to look at and plenty of room for groups.
They’ll be throwing a ‘Fantastic Beasts (Les Créatures Fantastiques) Halloween party on 26th and 27th October with American buffet breakfast, spooky touch wall, ‘decorate-your-own’ Halloween donut session, create a magic book craft session and a Fantastic Beasts magic show (magic show lasts for 45 minutes).
Details:
Hard Rock Café ‘Les Créatures Fantastiques’ Halloween 2019
Saturday 26th or Sunday 27th October from 9.30am to midday
Kids: 2 years and under are free. 10 years and younger are €14.95 each
Adults: €19.95 each
Note: In my opinion, I think it’s pretty rubbish to charge an 11-year old an adult price as they’re not technically adults. It reminds me of the travel industry where children are charged adult fares from 12 years up….regardless, the price is decent for 2.5 hours including breakfast and animations.
Tickets: You can buy tickets in advance for the Hard Rock Café Halloween breakfast events – note, the booking portal adds a €1 fee to each ticket. Tickets here: Hard Rock Café Halloween 2019
St Martin Vésubie
Parc Alpha is very good at organising events to attract visitors to the area and will be hosting Halloween animations for the whole of Toussaint school holidays. The park has picnic areas and food onsite, and they have 3 wolf packs that you can watch being fed three times a day (look on the Parc Alpha website for feeding times).
Every day during school holidays from 2pm to 4pm, kids can meet witches and join craft workshops to make a spooky lollipop, magic potion or bewitched puppet.
On 31st October, there will be witches and Little Red Riding Hood and a show at 3pm.
Parc Alpha is running Halloween activities the whole Toussaint school holidays
Details:
Parc Alpha Halloween 2019
Saturday 19th October to Sunday 3rd November open every day from 10am to 5pm
Tickets:
Kids: On 31st October only, kids under 12 years will receive free entry if they are dressed in Halloween costume – note, it must be a proper costume not just a scary hat or face paint!
Outside of 31st October, if you visit any other day of the school holidays then kids under 4 are free, kids 4-12 years are €10 each and adults are €12 each. They also have family deals (2 adults + 2 kids) available on their website.
More info about tickets is here: Parc Alpha tickets
Valbonne
Valbonne is highly recommended for trick or treating action. Families stroll around the village around 5pm with both kids and adults dressed in costume. It’s busy and people end up at Place des Arcades to meet friends. Many families take extra candy to give to the shop owners.
Valbonne / Vallauris / Villeneuve Loubet
Kidooland is hosting stages during Toussaint school holidays with various Halloween activities on offer for kids aged 4 to 16 years at their locations at the Hotel Golden Tulip in Valbonne Sophia, Vallauris and Villeneuve Loubet.
As well, all locations will also host Halloween parties on the 31st October.
Inscriptions are necessary, for more information visit here: https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/d66ca3_c9d0f6b98a3f49e9992b91c792a1eff0.pdf
Kidooland will host stages and Halloween animations during Toussaint school holidays
Villeneuve Loubet
There will be a Halloween party including a treasure hunt on Thursday 31st October at Valbonne Village.
Details:
Villeneuve Loubet ‘jeu de piste’ & Halloween party 2019
Thursday 31st October from 2pm to 4pm (treasure hunt departs every 15 minutes)
Families: €7 for 4-5 people, or €5 for 1 adult + 1 child
Tickets: Reservations are necessary, phone 04 92 02 66 16
Where to find Halloween decorations and kids costumes on the French Riviera
I’m becoming more conscious of waste during festive events, so I’m really trying to cut down on buying plastic accessories and individually-wrapped candy. There are plenty of stores such as Carrefour, MaxiBazaar, Destock, GiFi, La Foir’ Fouille and Maximart on the Côte d’Azur that will be cranking out plastic Halloween items such as tridents, cauldrons or skeletons – so I’m hoping that people will consider their purchases long-term and try and reuse their costumes more than one season or make them from recycled items.
If you want to make your own eco-friendly Halloween decorations and costumes instead, refer to Pinterest, Good Housekeeping, Instagram or A Clean Bee for ideas.
For carving pumpkins, head to the Fête de la Courge in Châteauneuf on 20th October or try your luck at Grand Frais, Nice Carrefour TNL or LIDL.
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