A summer rich in cultural events for the people of the Côte d’Azur: discover the season’s program

The Alpes-Maritimes department has just unveiled its summer cultural season program on June 19, 2026. Several major events are planned: summer evenings, the words festival, jazz art lympia evenings, the follies of the lakes, as well as three major exhibitions.

During the unveiling of the program, it was the president of the Alpes Maritimes department, Charles Ange Ginésy who spoke to present the events, explaining: “there is […] no department that does what the Alpes-Maritimes department has been doing for years in terms of cultural action, at the level we do it. More than 30 million euros: this is what the departmental council is committing to support culture in the Alpes-Maritimes, to support the artistic world, to support associations, to support museums.”

He also stated that this summer would speak to everyone and recalled the importance of culture in the eyes of the department. Charles Ange Ginésy quoted André Malraux: “culture is what answers mankind when he wonders what he is doing on Earth.” before explaining that it was precisely “this intimate response, this elevation that connects us to one another” that he and his team wish to offer to the residents of the department. This statement thus illustrates the central place that the department gives to culture, considered as an essential pillar of collective life and the territory.

Summer evenings

This unmissable festival transforms the department each summer into a vast open-air stage. From June 26 to August 31, 2026, this 31st edition offers more than 450 entirely free shows spread across more than 150 municipalities, particularly to boost villages in the middle and upper regions. A true lever of cultural solidarity, the event highlights the local scene as 99% of the artists and technicians scheduled are from the Alpes-Maritimes. The public can thus enjoy a rich and eclectic program mixing theater, comedy, circus, magic (such as illusionist duos or circus arts) as well as a wide variety of musical genres ranging from jazz and rock to French chanson.

The festival of words

The Festival of Words is a summer event focused on literary elegance and sharing. It offers a series of meetings and free readings in several municipalities throughout the department. Renowned comedians and readers, from cinema, theater or television, come to meet audiences to revive the tradition of evening gatherings at the heart of villages. Each edition explores a theme or poetic thread through captivating texts, guaranteeing a moment of transmission and shared emotion.

Jazz art lympia evenings

Organized in the historical and cultural setting of the Lympia Space at the Port of Nice, this event invites music lovers to experience musical evenings suspended in time. Facing the sunset and then under the stars, the festival offers a program of high-level jazz concerts. It is a privileged space that combines the beauty of a unique maritime site with the conviviality and emotion of jazz notes, thus offering a particularly appreciated artistic break during the summer season.

The follies of the lakes

This major festive and family event traditionally sets up in the heart of nature, at the heart of the Mercantour at Colmiane lake. Designed as a huge musical picnic, this event brings together thousands of participants of all ages in a festive atmosphere of “Brazilian rhythms, samba, funk, disco”. The program includes numerous free activities for young and old: DJ sets, live concerts, inflatable structures and dining areas, all in an exceptional natural setting.

The exhibitions

Alongside the performing arts, the Department proposes three major exhibitions, recalling that culture is a continuous thread:

• A leap into prehistory at the Museum of Wonders: which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. A beautiful story for highlighting the Valley of Wonders, allowing us to trace back in time and understand the very first sculpted portraits.
• The universe of Théo Villette and Gilbert Valentin at the Lympia Gallery: two essential figures of Vallauris absolutely worth visiting, where earth becomes light, color and living matter.
• The adventures of Blake and Mortimer in Japan at the Museum of Asian Arts: an exhibition that takes both young and old back into the graphic universe of Edgar P. Jacobs, between science, mystery and timeless elegance.

Thus, the organization of these numerous events demonstrates the essential place that the Alpes-Maritimes department gives to culture. Charles-Ange Ginésy recalled that the 06 offers nearly 1,000 free events in 2026. Between music, theater, dance, literature and visual arts, the residents of the Côte d’Azur will have a particularly rich offering for this summer.