Monaco entices celebrities and high-end travellers with a wealth of unforgettable experiences throughout every season of the year. 2017 promises to be especially exciting with a calendar of prestigious social and sporting events, arts, culture and entertainment, in addition to the iconic casinos, fine dining and shopping galore for which the Mediterranean Principality is renowned.
With SPRING in the air, the luxury, glamour and excitement moves up a gear with coveted cultural experiences for discerning world travellers. As the Monte Carlo Opera closes its season on a high note before embarking on its annual world tour, the fairytale Rose Ball is an esteemed fund-raiser for the Princess Grace Foundation graced by Europe’s high society, with entertainment by top-name performers.
The Printemps des Arts 2017, from 17 March to 8 April, welcomes top musical and artistic talents from around the world, such as Hector Berlioz “Symphonie Fantastique” & Michael Jarrell “Aquateinte” (World Premiere) by The Frankfurt Radio Symphony Conductor Andrès Oroszco Estrada. The festival programme features lectures, master classes, exhibitions and concerts that promise to inspire, delight and surprise. A signature event this year is a new collaboration with the orchestra and ballet troupe from the Democratic Republic of Congo, performing at the Auditorium Rainier III.
Motorcar enthusiasts can expect a high-octane treat in Monaco. Accelerating into the motoring season from 20-23 April, the legendary Top Marques Monaco presents its 14th edition at Grimaldi Forum. Top Marques Monaco is the world’s greatest luxury supercar show and many manufacturers choose it to premiere their new models. Visitors can even take to the Formula 1 Grand Prix circuit for a customized test drive. The event attracts high-net-worth consumers plus sports fans who combine their visit with watching the world’s best tennis players at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters, one of the nine annual ‘ATP World Tour Masters 1000’ tournaments, from 16-23 April.
May begins in stately fashion with one of the world’s most historic races, the Monte-Carlo Historic Grand Prix, a retrospective of the golden age of car racing. Next on the grid is the legendary Monaco Formula One Grand Prix, when society’s most glamourous and elite converge to witness greatness in action on the most difficult of all circuits in the Formula 1 World Championship. Living up to its name as a playground for the rich and famous, the Principality engages in several days of lavish parties and activities.
Stepping off the gas (but not the speed), the Monaco E-Prix will celebrate its 2nd edition on 13 May 2017. Formula E is the only championship in the world in which only electric cars compete. Round five out of 10 of the FIA Formula E Championship, the Monaco E-Prix takes place in the lower part of the famous F1 track in Monte Carlo. The event showcases the ability of electric car racing to provide high-powered excitement without harming the environment.
Starting in July and continuing throughout the SUMMER months, Monaco displays its rich musical culture in the Courtyard of the Prince’s Palace. This historic outdoor stage plays host to many performances by the legendary Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra. In July and August, The Monte-Carlo International Fireworks Festival lights up the sky with the most beautiful and original fireworks displays by pyrotechnic specialists from around the globe.
A symbol of the strong relationship between Monaco and China, this year the Grimaldi Forum presents The Forbidden City in Monaco – Imperial Court Life in China, running from 14 July–10 September. The finely curated exhibition is designed as a visitors’ trail through the Chinese imperial palace and gardens, showcasing 200 exceptional works from the Forbidden City, plusloans from leading European and American collections. A reciprocal exhibition on the Grimaldi Dynasty will be presented in China in 2018.
The Summer Sporting Festival sparkles after-dark with an impressive line-up of concerts under the stars by some of the world’s most celebrated international recording artists. The festival is staged at the exclusive Monte-Carlo Sporting Club during July and August. One of the world’s longest-running pop music festivals, it was founded in 1974 by Prince Rainier III of Monaco, and Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Junior were among the stellar lineup.
The Monte-Carlo Red Cross Gala Ball on the first weekend of August attracts scores of international celebrities to an annual fund-raiser under the patronage of H.S.H. Prince Albert at the Sporting Club. Expect elegantly prepared meals, top entertainers and a display of ball gowns designed to dazzle.
AUTUMN is beloved as Monaco’s most comfortable season of the year, favoured for cruising and yachting. September is magnificent as Port Hercules plays host to the prestigious Monaco Yacht Show, with around 100 of the world’s most beautiful superyachts on display. With an enduring connection to the sea, The Monaco Yacht Club – one of Europe’s oldest and most distinguished – also celebrates the Principality’s glorious maritime past with Monaco Classic Week.
Monaco’s Grimaldi Forum is a distinguished MICE destination, especially during Autumn. Key global players of international Sports Marketing & Media will gather here from 23-26 October for Sportel Monaco 2017, the industry’s leading B2B conventi
on. From 8-9 November, the Monaco International Clubbing Show (MICS Monaco) brings top-of-the-game nightlife and entertainment industry professionals together, with a world-famous DJ Festival adding to the excitement. From 26-28 November, theChefs’ World Summit is the international congress for world chefs, including Monaco’s own Michelin-star chefs – Alain Ducasse, Joel Robuchon, Marcel Ravin, Benoit Witz, Paolo Sari….
Monaco celebrates its National Holiday on November 19 with a spectacular fireworks display over the harbour in the evening andMass in the Cathedral the next morning. This is an excellent opportunity to witness the pomp and circumstance of the Principality in all its grandeur, and the Princely family waving to the crowds from the Prince’s Palace. Also in November, international athletes descend to contest the Cross Du Larvotto cross-country run.
WINTER completes Monaco’s year-round calendar with the Monaco Dance Forum of neo-classical, contemporary, world and hip-hop dance in December, and special performances and gala dinners throughout the Principality on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.
“Monaco is increasingly a sought-after destination for high-end travellers from Asia seeking to experience the very best that Europe has to offer in the playground of the world’s rich and famous. Monaco is unique for being a highly accessible destination enjoying the ultimate safety and that offers ‘everything for all’, with an unparalleled calendar of sporting, social and cultural events and entertainment occurring all throughout the year. It’s always the right time to visit Monaco!” says Mr. Benoit Badufle, Chief Asia Representative of Monaco Government Tourist & Convention Authority.
Source: Monaco Government Tourist Bureau
Cover image: visitmonaco.com
Read also: A Fairy-Tale Underwater Wedding in Monaco
