Online‑Chef Tales · Antibes, Biot & Cannes · December 2026
I go to exhibitions to look at art and come home with ideas for dinner. In December, that seems like a perfectly good way to get from Biot to Cannes to Antibes. I’ve picked out glassmakers, old posters, Christmas stalls by the sea and one evening where the dress code is apparently “the worst jumper you own.”
I’ve circled three dates for myself. Here’s the whole calendar, in case you circle different ones.
Early December · Glass, sea air and a night at the ballet
All month · Cannes Christmas Market. The wooden chalets along the Allées de la Liberté and Cours Félix Faure are already open when December starts. Go for the makers and the food stalls. I like a market where you can buy a present and eat something warm before you’ve decided who the present is for. The market runs through 3 January. City of Cannes
Through 18 December · De mains en mains, Biot. Léa Georgelin drew what happens inside a glass workshop. Her original comic pages hang alongside pieces by glass artists Antoine Pierini and Anaïs Robinson at the Médiathèque Sonia Delaunay. Entry is free. I’m planning to go on 2 December. I want to see how she draws the moment when hot glass starts to take shape. That’s the kind of thing I’ll still be thinking about later, standing over a pan of sugar. City of Biot
From 3 December · Christmas Village at Palm Beach, Cannes. A second Christmas village, this one facing the Mediterranean. It’s free to enter and open from 3 to 10 pm. Through 16 December it closes on Mondays and Tuesdays. From 17 December it opens daily through 3 January. City of Cannes
5 December · Christmas festivities open in Antibes. The holiday season starts in town, with the Christmas village at Pré‑des‑Pêcheurs. The tourism office has announced the dates through 3 January, with the detailed programme still to come. Antibes Tourism
6 December, 6 pm · London City Ballet, Cannes. The London City Ballet closes the dance festival with the Orchestre national de Cannes playing live. If you’d rather spend a Sunday evening with an orchestra than shopping for presents, there’s your date. Palais des Festivals
Mid-December · Old posters, candlelight and roasted chestnuts
11 December · Cannes à l’affiche, Cannes. A guided tour of the city’s old posters, from tourism to sport and culture. This is my second stop. I want to find the poster I’d actually stop for in the street, then figure out what caught my eye. I suspect my next recipe card is going to come out of this visit looking a little louder. City of Cannes
14 December, from 5 pm · Sainte‑Lucie, Biot. A free procession of lights across the Esplanade Saint‑Philippe. A good excuse to step outside on a Monday after dark. City of Biot
15 December, 8 pm · Lumière !, Antibes. Thierry Frémaux, director of the Cannes Film Festival, takes the audience at Anthéa through 130 years of cinema. The show goes back to the Lumière brothers and the things they were already trying with a camera. Anthéa
18–30 December · Christmas Market, Biot. Around thirty makers and producers take over the old village. Opening night starts at 6 pm on the 18th, with roasted chestnuts, little sweets and warm drinks on Place de Gaulle from 6:30 pm. If you’re picking one Christmas market for the food, I’d start here. City of Biot
Late December · Market baskets, bad jumpers and one last dance
19 December · Christmas festivities open in Juan‑les‑Pins. Juan gets its own start to the celebrations two weeks after Antibes. The tourism office has announced the date, with the details still to come. Antibes Tourism
20 December, 10 am–4 pm · Producers’ Market at La Garoupe, Antibes. The market normally runs on the third Sunday of the month, which falls on the 20th in December. This is my third stop, if the regular schedule holds. I’m bringing an empty basket and asking one producer what they’d cook with what’s on their stall that morning. Then I’ll make it at home. Antibes Tourism
26 December, 7 pm · Moon Boots and the Ugly Christmas Jumper Contest, Biot. Place de Gaulle goes après‑ski. Moon Boots, ski suits and spectacularly bad knitwear are all welcome. Entry is free. If your jumper makes someone say “where did you even get that?”, wear it. City of Biot
31 December, 8:30 pm · Murmuration – Level 2, Cannes. Sadeck Berrabah’s dancers move in sync, building patterns that keep changing before you’ve worked out how they did the last one. It’s on at the Palais des Festivals for New Year’s Eve. Palais des Festivals
Liza · Online‑Chef Tales
My first stop is Biot. I’m bringing a notebook, a warm scarf and a very optimistic plan to walk past the roasted chestnuts just once. If you know someone who’d love Christmas lights on the harbour or a dance floor full of terrible jumpers, pick them a postcard. Print it, write something only you would say, and give them a reason to check the letterbox.
Et si vous en gardez une pour vous, promis, je ne dirai rien. Joyeux Noël ! ✨
