It's time to get ready for darker evenings and lighter mornings. Winter is definitely upon us as we are transitioning this weekend from daylight saving time to standard time. The good news is that we will gain an extra hour of sleep this Sunday. The bad news is that for the next few months we won't have any daylight after work or school for outdoor activities. Thank God we live in a region where there are always many fun things to do all year long, so relax, sit back, and enjoy life on the Côte d'Azur.

Who one says "fall" in France, one immediately thinks of Chestnut festivals. The French Riviera will keep on celebrating the reddish-brown nuts over the next few days with no less that four festivals scheduled in Fontan and Sospel this Saturday, in Roquebillière on Sunday and in Guillaumes on Tuesday. The various programs include plenty of music and tastings of local products, including, of course, chestnuts.

Over in Nice, Housse De Racket, a French duo who started out life as session musicians for Phoenix and Air, and Killtronik, a French electro/rock band from Cannes, mainly influenced by glam rock, rock and electropop, will play tonight (Friday) at the Nikaia at 8:30pm.

The following night but this time at Nice's Théâtre Lino Ventura, Danish singer/songwriter Agnes Obel will be performing tracks from her highly acclaimed debut album Philharmonics at 8:30pm.

If you like arts, there are plenty of great exhibitions to check out right now in the region starting with 'The Story of the Princely Wedding' exhibition which continues at the Musée Océanographique in Monaco. If you enjoyed watching the nuptials of Prince Albert and Charlene Wittstock on TV, you can now see for yourself the new princess' Armani-designed wedding dress, her diadem and the open-top Lexus which transported the newlyweds.

Over in Nice, you only have a few more days to admire a large number of lacquered and gilded objects from Burma. The exhibition held at the Musée des Arts Asiatiques until the 7th of November entitled 'Lacquer and Gold from Burma', illustrates the importance of the art of lacquer works in the daily and religious life in Burma.

Two interesting exhibitions are also underway in Galerie Oscar in Nice. One displays the works of Swedish artist Marita Occelli which includes coloured glass inclusions, wine and champagne bottles sealed in resin as well as ceramics. The second one entitled 'Diamonds in the Dark' features Australian artist Mesha Sendyk's contemplative works.

The sport fans among you may head to the Sports Palace Jean Bouin this weekend for the International Cup of Nice 2011. The international figure skating competition starts at 2pm on Friday and Saturday and 9:30am on Sunday, while the closing gala will be held at 6:30pm.

On the soccer front, AS Monaco will play in Châteauroux tonight (Friday) at 8pm and OGC Nice will host Sochaux at 5pm on Sunday.

That's it for this week. Between Halloween on Monday and the G20 summit in Cannes, the next seven days are going to be pretty hectic. So, don't forget to set your clocks back one hour this weekend and of course, keep checking our Facebook page for your daily slice of Riviera life!

Charles Aznavour, One of France's Greatest Entertainers of All Time, is Coming to Nice This November, do not miss your chance to see legendary singer and songwriter Charles Aznavour, one of France's ... >> READ MORE

Edith Wharton's Ghostly Writings from Hyères "It was his wife who found him and gave the alarm, so distracted, poor wretch, with fear and horror -- for his blood was all over her -- that at first the roused household ... >> READ MORE

From California to the Côte d'Azur The Côte d'Azur is known for being the home of some of the most prolific painters of the last generation. Picasso, Matisse, Miro and Chagall all drew inspiration from the light ... >> READ MORE