Entertainment In Marseille

With its multicultural society, Marseille has a delightful smorgasbord of entertainment choices to suit any taste. There are nightspots with hundreds of different themes, while more cultural pursuits, such as theatre and other performing arts, are also well catered to. To top it all off, there are a variety of enthralling and fun festivals held throughout the year.

Nightlife

There is no shortage of nightlife activities in Marseille, with hundred of bars, cafés, clubs and discos catering to wildly different clientele. Live music is all the rage in most nightspots, be it jazz, techno or rock. Many of the liveliest venues are located at Place Jean Jaures and Cours d’Estienne d’Orves, with the latter featuring plenty of reggae and jazz.

Theatre and music

Marseille has a vibrant performing arts scene and it always has a great selection of performances on offer including theatre, concerts, ballet, comedy and opera. The main performing arts venue is the magnificent Theatre National de la Criée, which hosts a variety of productions and events, while the National Ballet performs at various venues across the city. Music is everywhere in Marseille, and there is always a concert on somewhere as well as traditional folk music on offer at local squares and at the Docks des Suds. Classic music concerts are usually held at the Odeon, while the Abbaye Saint Victor hosts classical music festival year-round. Modern popular music concerts are held at the Dome.

Festivals

Marseille features the usual annual religious festivals typical of French towns, but it also has a wide variety of unique and interesting events. There are important film and music festivals as well as sporting events.

• Marseille Carnival is a traditional carnival parade, where floats from each district of the city converge on the old port area. Plenty of fun, dancing and music, not to mention great food and drinks, can be enjoyed (March).
• Marseille International Documentary Film Festival is probably the most important exhibition of documentary films in Europe during the year. This event sees all the best documentaries showcased over several days (June).
• Music Festival is held at dozens of venues around the city over several days. Music of all types is on offer including folk, ethnic, classical, jazz and rock music (June).
• The French Water Jousting Championships are hilarious and fun for spectators, but very serious for competitors. The famous French Water Jousting Championships see teams of men trying to bash each other off their boats and into the water (July).
• Bastille Day has a special significance for the people of Marseille, and the event is celebrated more wildly than perhaps anywhere else in France. There are great fireworks, countless renditions of ‘La Marseillaise’ and lots of singing, dancing and drinking (July).
• Festival of the Wind typically coincides with the onset of the ‘Le Mistral’ wind and the highlight of this festival is the flying of large, brightly coloured kites off Plage du Prado beach. International kite clubs from across the globe compete in this spectacular occasion (September).
• Marseille Santons Fair takes place at Allées de Meilhan, where there are many original local scenes produced using Santons. Santons are small clay figurines of Christian scenes which are displayed near neighbourhood churches in the run up to Christmas (November/December).