By Zoe Dare Hall

Think of the sounds of those warm Mediterranean nights – the hum of cicadas, the chatter of locals in the village bar ringing out across the still air, a distant plane as it leaves its white trail in a darkening azure sky. There is nothing more instantly soporific than to feel a warm breeze on the skin, the air scented with lavender and jasmine and the fading light casting a bronze glow across the landscape.

Most foreigners who seek the good life in France would be content with little more than this: the simple pleasures of al fresco summer nights that feel like unimaginable luxury to those whose climate forces them to spend much of the year indoors. But should further reason be needed to spend time beneath the night skies, there are plenty to be found in the south and in the Alps, where summer yields a full programme of nocturnal events – many making the most of the gardens and courtyards belonging to some of the region’s most beautiful historic buildings.

Little can beat the lure of live music on a hot summer night – particularly when it comes pine-scented and with views over the bay, as is the case with Juan-Les-Pins’ world famous jazz festival in July. The town is no stranger to summer music ringing out through its streets, squares and amphitheatres either, with its summer calendar including the fringe Jazz Off festival and Les Nuits de Juan. In nearby Antibes, the Nuits Carrées festival sees five free concerts, with rock, jazz and hip hop bands playing in the old town’s Fort-Carré amphitheatre.

Nice also has a place in the heart of jazz aficionados, with its 69-yearold jazz festival held amid the olive groves and Roman ruins of the Parc de Cimiez, this year attracting the likes of Mary J Blige and Laura Mvula to its stage. Or head to the Cloître du Monastère de Cimiez whose Franciscan monks open their gardens to the public in summer for a series of classical concerts. It is Menton, however, that can claim one of the oldest classical music festivals in Europe, set in the courtyard of the baroque Saint-Michel Archange basilica and other venues throughout the town.

Alternatively, you may prefer to tango in Menton’s four-day celebration of the Argentinian dance. Inspiration from afar can also be found in Vence, whose Les Nuits du Sud festivals sees a fortnight of big names in world music, and in Saint Tropez, whose Les Grimaldines festival offers a musical world tour in five weekly concerts.

The southern French night skies lend themselves to light as much as sound – and there’s plenty of that too. The Firework Art Festival in Cannes sees the world’s greatest pyrotechnicians compete over six evenings in displays that are said to be like no other. These pyrotechnic artists describe the sky as their canvas and the fireworks their paints. The action begins at 10pm, which leaves plenty of time for a sunset picnic on the Croisette before you find a prime perch on the terrace of the Martinez hotel or in the Place de la Castre above the old port.

For nocturnal illumination of a different kind, Les Luminessences d’Avignon is an unmissable experience. The sound and light show held in the Palais des Papes, a UNESCO World Heritage Site set on a peak overlooking the city, takes the audience on a journey through the centuries in a 360 degree show projected on to the walls of the historical castle.

In Orange, a classic Provençal town near Avignon that reveals its outstanding historical heritage at every turn, the oldest festival in France takes place in the Roman amphitheatre. Les Chorégies sees crowds of 9,000 take their seats in the semi-circular arena to enjoy opera, song and symphonies throughout the summer. And in the eternally popular Luberon, the ancient town of Lourmarin – officially known as one of the most beautiful villages in France – draws crowds to the terraces of its 15th century château in early August for a summer music festival.

It’s not only Provence that can claim the best spots to spend warm French summer nights. In Gascony, the town of Marciac competes with Juan Les Pins for its annual jazz festival, with big stars and big crowds descending on the town that rings out for two weeks in August. So entrenched in jazz is Marciac that it’s taught as a regular subject in the local schools. Nearby Vic-Fezensac – whose Spanish influence can be seen in various ways, from its bodegas to its bullfighting – opts for musical heritage of a different type, in its popular salsa festival, Tempo Latino, held in its bullfighting arena. Many performers and spectators come from Latin America and the Gascon town is temporarily transformed into little Havana with white sand, banana palms and terraces packed with salsa lovers.

French Alpine towns are also getting in on the summer nights scene, holding regular spectacles to ensure the crowds keep coming evenwhen snow is a distant memory. Chamonix famously attracts more visitors in summer than in winter, and one big draw is the relative newcomer, the Cosmojazz festival, with free night-time concerts in spectacular high-altitude settings.

Elsewhere in the Alps, you can soak up the scenery in everything from Europe’s biggest firework show on Lake Annecy – 70 minutes of music, lights and colourful explosions over the Bay of Albigny that see crowds of 200,000 flock to the lakeside – to an al fresco supper and all-night dancing in the Fête de la Madelon in Le Praz, Courchevel.

On the opposite side of the valley, in Villemartin, the Fête de Saint- Jacques takes place simultaneously, with partying throughout the night.

Summer nights in France are a festival of the senses. Sight, sound, taste and touch are pampered in this array of events. But that leaves one; smell – and one not to be missed out, with the aromas of Provence inspiring many a Proustian desire to return. And where better to take it all in but Grasse, France’s perfume capital, whose jasmine festival marks the beginning of the harvest in August. There is jasmine and jazz by day, and parades and fireworks to lead the festival into the night. It’s an occasion that sees the town take to the streets in exuberant celebration – an appreciation of the local culture, history, location, lifestyle and, of course, smells: all the elements, in other words, that make us long for those summer nights in France.

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