Nice Jazz Fest opens on Thursday, July 23 with a sold-out performance from Sting, kicking off three nights of music running through Saturday across the festival's two stages at Place Masséna and the Théâtre de Verdure.
Tonight's Masséna stage bill runs Girlband! at 8pm and Naïka at 9.15pm before Sting closes the night around 11pm, while the more jazz-focused Théâtre de Verdure runs Gabrielle Cavassa, Kassa Overall and Gotts Street Park through the evening. Opening night tickets, priced from 90 euros, sold out weeks ago, roughly double the 45 euro entry for Friday's headline slot from hip-hop veteran Busta Rhymes. Lola Young, riding the global success of her 2024 single Messy, closes the festival Saturday night.
The festival, running since 1948, marks the first major cultural event staged under Nice's new municipal administration, with new events and tourism deputy Denis Del Rio overseeing his first edition. A free fringe programme, Fest'OFF, has run alongside the main festival since July 18 and continues through July 26, bringing street performances, brass bands and daytime concerts across the city at no charge.