Monaco is celebrating its national day this Saturday. This year's celebrations include the annual Thanksgiving Mass, the awarding of medals at the Prince's Palace, an army Parade, and an evening at the Opera. But the principality will not be the only place to have fun over the next seven day. All along the coast, eclectic musical events, nice arts exhibits and great sporting events are also going to take place. So without any further delay, here is your round-up for this week!

The annual Manca Festival whose name stands for "Musiques Actuelles Nice Côte d'Azur", is starting today in Nice. For seven days, the event will feature a mix of music, ranging from classical to jazz, as well as theatrical and dance performances, film screenings and art exhibitions.

If you like jazz, the 15th edition of the 'Jazz sous les Bigaradiers' festival is for you. Held annually in La Gaude, this nationally renowned event which ends on Monday, welcomes this year many great names such as Géraldine Laurent and the Time Out Trio, Pierre Bertrand, Minino Garay, Louis Winsberg, Alfio Origlio and Jérome Regar.

Do not miss also the Monte-Carlo Jazz Festival which opens this Thursday at the Salle Garnier. The opening night promises to be a great guitar feast with gipsy-jazz star Biréli Lagrène, English jazz fusion guitar player John McLaughlin, Mike Stern, Sylvain Luc, Philip Catherine, bassist Richard Bona, keyboard player Joey DeFrancesco and drummers Steve Gadd and André Ceccarelli.

Starting this Tuesday and running until Sunday at the Palais des festivals et des congrès, the Cannes Dance Festival, one of the major dance events in France, will present  international pieces, new talent and contemporary movements. The theme of this year's edition is New Mythologies.

Singer Paolo Conte, one of the great voices of Italy, will take the stage of the Acropolis in Nice this coming Tuesday at 8:30pm. This concert is a unique chance to see this living legend perform live.

Fans of classical music are also going be spoiled this week with the start of the annual "C'est Pas Classique" series on Thursday. For the opening night at the Opéra de Nice, the Nice Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Philippe Auguin will pay tribute to Mozart.

If you love art, you should head to Menton and check out the brand new museum, the Jean Cocteau Museum - Séverin Wunderman Collection. In addition to more than 2,000 works from the multi-talented French artist, the striking building also hosts a temporary exhibition, running until May 2012, dedicated to Jean Sabrier, a Bordeaux based artist, who gives new perspectives to paintings through art history.

Almost last chance before it is too late, you can also see the exhibit presented by French journalist and royal correspondent Stéphane Bern at Monaco's Oceanographic Museum, l'Histoire du Mariage Princier or the exhibition entitled Diamonds in the Dark featuring Australian artist Mesha Sendyk's contemplative works held at Galerie Oscar. Both exhibits are coming to an end this month.

On the sporting front, the big event of the weekend is of course the Nice-Cannes Marathon, which takes place this Sunday 20th. The race, as always, follows the coastline, starting on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice at 8 am and ending up at the Carlton Hotel in Cannes.

If you want some exercise but do not feel like running 42 kilometers, you can still participate in the annual No Finish Line charity event, finishing up this Sunday in Port Hercule in Monaco. Organized by the Children & Future Association, this fun race open to all, helps raise money for sick and disadvantaged youth.

Finally, do not forget to root for OGC Nice who host AS Saint Etienne this Saturday at 7:00pm.

That's it for this week. Have lots of fun over the next seven days and as usual, do not forget to keep checking our Facebook to stay up to date with all the action taking place on the French Riviera!

Versace and H&M team up to take the fashion world by storm! Luxury fashion wear prances onto the High Street this week, as the Italian label Versace teams up with H&M to introduce ... >> READ MORE

Autumn in Liguria - the Queen of Seasons If you have had enough of lounging on the beach all summer, why not take full advantage of the fine weather and enjoy the outdoor activities on offer in the ... >> READ MORE

Le Glam nightclub in Nice offers something for everyone I love how much I have seen the LGBT community in the Côte d'Azur grow over the past decade or so and how truly ... >> READ MORE