Good reasons to spend the festive season in Cannes
If you haven’t yet decided where to spend the festive season, we’d like to share with you the Christmas and New Year activities to be enjoyed in our beautiful town of Cannes. There’s something for every taste and age. The city of Cannes is pulling out all the stops to make sure you have a magical time on the Côte d’Azur, with your family and friends.
Christmas village downtown: Allées de la liberté
Young and old are invited to this magnificent Christmas village. You’ll find a magical scenography at the “Au pays des reennes le Père Noël est roi” kiosk. Here you can enjoy the best churros in town, or roasted chestnuts accompanied by a glass of homemade mulled wine. The Cannois Christmas Village features a wide range of activities, including face-painting workshops, musical entertainment and craft and gourmet chalets.
Enjoy the magic of Cannes from Sunday to Thursday, 10am to 9pm.
Ice rink
The Christmas village features a 400 m² natural ice rink. You’ll even find an instructor on hand every morning to offer introductory courses. Young and old are invited, of course! There are even Christmas-themed shows. The next one takes place on December 20 at 7pm.
Meet Santa Claus
Santa Claus is on hand to welcome children and grown-ups alike! Of course we all want our photo with Santa!
The funfair
There’s also a funfair on the Esplanade Pantiero. During school vacations, the funfair is open daily from 2pm to 11pm. Come and have fun with your friends and family, and rediscover the innocence of your youth.
The parades
4 beautiful parades are organized in the streets of Cannes. Cours Félix Faure, rue meynadier, rue Hoche and rue d’Antibes are just some of the streets to stroll down to enjoy these magnificent parades. There’s something for everyone, from the Russian steppe with a troupe dressed as elves, to the Ravisseurs de Lumière with musicians, jugglers and dancers, or Santa’s brigade with 23 characters and Jazz musicians. Finally, there’s the Christmas parade, where you can meet Christmas characters in the streets of Cannes. The atmosphere is incredibly magical and well worth the detour. This parade takes place on Christmas Eve.
There are also Christmas markets in the La Bocca and République areas.
Christmas cribs
3 magnificent nativity scenes have been set up in Cannes to delight your eyes. You’ll find the Christmas village chalet, a traditional Provencal nativity scene with 150 Provencal santons, open Sunday to Thursday from 10am to 9pm. In the Suquet district, you’ll find the Notre-Dame d’Espérance church, with its giant, animated and musical nativity scene. The crèche is open until February 2, from 9am to 12pm and from 2pm to 6pm. The last crib is organized at the Moulin Forville, in the Victor Tuby Museum, where you’ll discover 40 cribs from all over the world. You can get there between Saturday, December 18 and January 5, 2022.
New Year's fireworks
Every year, Cannes town hall organizes a magnificent fireworks display to delight its visitors. The fire will be fired over the Bay of Cannes, high above the sea. This luminous, musical show is a wonderful way to start the New Year, full of good things.
Illuminations
Cannes will offer you an unforgettable experience with these illuminations installed throughout the city. Of course, you’ll find Christmas decorations in shades of gold, fir green and touches of white to simulate a beautiful winter snow. Wreaths, braids of lights, star projections, garlands, decorated palm trees on the Croisette, luminous fir trees and inflatable bubbles with Christmas scenery will put stars in your eyes. All you need to do is stroll through the streets of Cannes and along the Croisette.
From December 16, a 30-metre-high Christmas tree will be installed in front of the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès.
Cannes: my shopping city
The Rue d’Antibes is pedestrianized every weekend from Saturday December 4 and on Friday December 24 and 31 in the afternoon, so you can enjoy the illuminated street and its many stores in complete peace and quiet. To help you make the most of your visit, the city of Cannes offers very attractive parking packages at reduced prices. Get 3 hours free on Saturdays and Sundays, and 2 hours once a week. This Cannois gift is more for parents, but it’s still great for kids!