Nice: naughty, nice and everything in between
WHETHER YOU’RE AN ART ENTHUSIAST OR A BEACH BUM, THERE’S A LOT TO LOVE ABOUT THIS UNEXPECTED LGBTQI+ DESTINATION
WORDS JOANNA WHITEHEAD
PHOTOS LOBKE LANGEWOUTERS
San Francisco, Berlin, Brighton and… Nice? You’d be forgiven for overlooking this small city on the south coast of France in your list of LGBTQI+ global hotspots – but it’d be a mistake. Located on the sunny French Riviera, this compact city has been quietly cultivating a reputation as a queer destination for a number of years.
This unlikely city’s commitment to LGBTQI+ rights is even enshrined in a hallmark issued to restaurants, shops and other establishments around the city for undertaking a three-day LGBTQI+ awareness course and signing a “quality service” pledge for their queer customers. Progress indeed.
In addition to a good selection of both queer and queer-friendly bars, restaurants and activities, Nice also plays host to a number of annual LGBTQI+ festivals and parades.
These include the Pink Parade (facebook.com/groups/pink2014), a street parade that takes over the city every summer; In & Out (lesouvreurs.com/ inoutfestival2018), an LGBTQI+ ilm festival that takes place across Nice and neighbouring Cannes; and Zefestival (lgbt.zefestival.fr), another LGBTQI+ ilm festival.