This Sunday, July 12, 2026, Nice opened the commemorations of the tenth anniversary of the July 14, 2016 attack. From Lenval Hospital to Albert 1st Garden, a remembrance march brought together families of victims, residents, elected officials, rescue workers, community activists and athletes. On the Promenade des Anglais, between the balconies of the city and the Mediterranean Sea, an entire city came together around the same message: to remember and never forget.
At 9 o’clock, the procession composed of several thousand people set off from Lenval Hospital, the symbolic starting point of this commemorative march. Ten years after the attack that shook Nice and France, participants retraced the path of the Promenade des Anglais, which has become a place of memory for an entire generation.
Families of victims, survivors, associations, residents, rescue representatives and elected officials advanced together in the same spirit of remembrance. Among the participants were notably the mayor of Nice, Éric Ciotti, several elected officials and prefecture members such as Patrick Amoussou-Adéblé as well as the former coach of the gym Claude Puel and players from OGC Nice, testifying to the attachment of Nice’s sports world to this commemorative anniversary.
The firefighters, first to be honored along the route
From the first meters, special tribute was paid to firefighters. At the intersection of the Magnan barracks, on the Promenade des Anglais, the firefighters were loudly applauded by the marchers.
A fire truck, whose bucket was deployed above the road, formed an arch of honor as the procession passed. The mayor of Nice, Éric Ciotti, came to meet them to shake their hands, in recognition of their commitment during the 2016 attack and their daily presence with the people of Nice.
A guard of honor from both land and sea
Throughout the route, the marchers were accompanied by a mobilized city. On either side of the Promenade des Anglais, the people of Nice participated in their own way in this collective tribute.
From the sea, the pointus, these small boats emblematic of Nice and Mediterranean heritage, followed the shore to symbolically escort the procession. From their boats, the crews greeted the participants.
On land, many residents came out on their balconies and to their windows. As the march passed, hands rose, smiles appeared and signs of support multiplied.
Between the balconies of the Promenade des Anglais and the pointus of the Mediterranean Sea, Nice formed a true guard of honor. A powerful image of Nice’s fraternity, where every gesture recalled the same will: to accompany, support and never forget.
Places of memory on a path charged with emotion
After this symbolic passage through the city, several stops punctuated the route.
In front of the Villa Masséna, participants observed a moment of silence at the heart-shaped memorial installed in tribute to the victims. A moment of silence facing this place that has become an essential landmark in Nice’s collective memory.
Further on, in front of the statue dedicated to the victims on the Promenade des Anglais, another tribute was paid. Éric Ciotti laid a wreath there, accompanied by the notes of a flute that resonated in the calm of the ceremony.
The people of Nice present then had their turn to pay tribute by freely laying roses at the foot of the statue. A gesture of remembrance that continued throughout the day, also around the kiosk in Albert 1st Garden.
In Albert 1st Garden, roses and the faces of the victims
Upon arrival at the kiosk in Albert 1st Garden, the moment of remembrance continued in an atmosphere filled with emotion.
White roses were distributed to participants so that each person could pay tribute to the victims by laying a flower in the jars installed around the kiosk.
In the trees, small framed portraits hung gently in the breeze. On each appeared the face of a victim. Behind the 86 names were lives, families and personal stories that were recalled to all.
During this moment of remembrance, a harpist accompanied the gestures of the participants, offering a soft and soothing musical moment during an emotionally charged occasion.
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