The U Sciaratu is Monaco’s big carnival-style festival. This year, it’s made all the more special by the centenary celebrations of Prince Rainier III and a circus theme in his honour.Â
Set to take place on Friday 7th July from 6.30pm up on the Rock, the night will feature a mini circus show with fire eaters and stilts walkers. Giant bubbles and balloon sculptors will be on hand to entertain young party goers while the Grand Bal of the festival, from 10pm, will be the likely destination for the older crowd. Head to the Place de la Mairie to get involved!Â
In the past, the focus was on disguise: women dressed as men and men dressed at women. It was a riotous party, with food fights and the burning of a straw-and-rags figure on the terrace of the Palace.
U Sciaratu was typically held in the late winter or early spring, and was a mainstay on the Monaco social calendar for centuries, but has been held later in recent years so that the many tourists visiting the Principality can join in with this bit of history. Â
The event is totally free and open to all, Monaco residents and visitors to the Principality alike. Â
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Photo source: Mairie de Monaco
Summer camps and activity days in and around MonacoÂ
The Yacht Club de Monaco is running a jam-packed summer programme, with various camps for children aged between six and 17. “In, on and under the water” is the theme of the very diverse list of activities that will give kids a true taste of the sea and the adventures it can offer. Early reservations were reserved for members, but now the registration process has been opened up to all wanting to try out sailing and more at this iconic institution.Â
Mini acrobats from four and up can hone their circus skills at the Chapiteau de Fontvielle, the very home of the famous Monte-Carlo Circus Festival, and test out everything from the trapeze to aerial hoops and silks. Four weekly courses have been organised, but there are also flexi-options available for kids who want to do half-days. Click here for more information. Â
The seven weeks of musical instruction on offer this summer, just up the road in Beausoleil, will be music to the ears of avid musicians. Click here for dates and prices.Â
Classic sportsÂ
Roca Team fans won’t believe their ears when they hear about the AS Monaco Basketball camp: on-court play with the captain of the team, Yakuba Ouattara. Two separate weeks are available in early July, but places are limited so get in touch with the organisers now if you want to secure a spot!Â
Tennis stars of the future will love the mixed sessions at the Monte-Carlo Country Club. The morning “Tennis & Piscine” course is open to four to 14-year-olds and costs €223 for members of the prestigious clubs, while non-members will have to pay a little more. Beginner tennis classes for the youngest players, aged three to seven, will also be on offer from 3rd to 11th August for two hours in the afternoon. This costs €150 for a week of instruction for members or €192 for non-members. Click here for more information on both stages.Â
Tennis for kids as young as three at the Monte-Carlo Country Club. Photo source: MCCC
The Monte-Carlo Squash Racket Club will be hosting a number of different camps at the Stade Louis II for seven to 11-year-olds, including table tennis, badminton and, of course, squash. Call 06 63 60 01 68 for more information on dates and times. Reservations can be made directly at squashresa98@gmail.com. Â
The CJPS is also offering longer stays away for eight to 16-year-olds via its mountain summer camps in the Champsaur region. Tweens and teens can partake in everything from bike riding to treetops adventures and watersports while getting some of that much-appreciated independence from their parents. The camps are organised in collaboration with Monaco’s Department of Social Welfare and Social Services and may be part-financed for some families. The two-week trips cost €815 or €855 depending on the age of the child. Â
Similarly, but for a slightly different age group and in another mountainous location, La Boite de Jeux is organising a two-week-long stay in a dedicated chalet in the Orcières Valley near Gap for seven to 14-year-olds between 8th and 22nd July. Prices start at €700 for a camp that includes access to tonnes of activities, sports and experiences. Â
Further afield, there are many different summer camps and activity days being laid on by Nature Essentielle in the Alpes-Maritimes, from overnight camping trips to Pelagos-backed sea voyages and mountain adventures. Click here to discover the full list.Â
The wonders of the southern Alps await with Nature Essentielle adventures. Photo source: Nature Essentielle
Monegasque table tennis player Xiaoxin Yang narrowly missed out on gold in the third edition of the European Games in Poland on Tuesday.Â
Fresh from her gold medal in the Games of the Small States of Europe in Malta earlier this month, Yang was within touching distance of securing another gold this week, this time in Krakow, Poland.
The top-ranked women’s singles player made light work of getting through to Tuesday’s final in the Polish capital, but came out on the wrong side of an epic final against Romania’s Bernadette Szocs.
A fatal fifth set
Yang looked dominant in the opening exchanges, racing into a 2-0 lead (11-4, 11-7) before Szocs hit back. However, having won the third set, Monaco were just one set away from gold, and having raced into a 4-0 lead, Yang could almost taste victory.
However, it was in this fifth set that the tables turned, and having won the fifth set (13-11), Szocs then stunned her opponent, overturning the deficit and winning 4-3 to take gold.
Yang, therefore, had to settle for silver, and post-match reflected on her narrow defeat.
“In the fifth set, I saw the victory in sight and so I gave my opponent a chance to come back into the match. Through this defeat, I will progress,” she said.
The silver medal was placed around Yang’s neck by Yvette Lambin Berti, Secretary General of the Monegasque Olympic Committee, who described the performance as “historic and unprecedented”.
In spite of the obvious disappointment, Yang will be motivated by her displays in Poland, adding further competition confidence to the Monegasque with just a year to go until the Paris 2024 Olympics.
On the second day of competition, a 52-5 victory against Czech Development was followed up by a 47-7 victory against NZ Ambassadors XV. By the final, it was clear that Aicardi’s side were unparalleled in the tournament, and so it proved as Monaco beat Italian champions Nati Scombinati (22-7) to lift the Prague Rugby Sevens trophy and take home a cheque of €3,000.
A Monegasque in the lineup
The dominance displayed by Monaco was even more impressive given the absence of stars, as well as the integration of new players. Monegasque Ian-Sören Cabioch was rewarded for his form during the Games of the Small States of Europe with a call-up, as well as his victory with the Monaco Impis during the Melrose Sevens tournament earlier this year.
Attention now turns towards retaining their French crown. Monaco will soon begin preparing for the next edition of the In Extenso Rugby Sevens, which begins in Clermont-Ferrand on 15th September before stages in Lyon (22nd September) and Pau (29th September).
The line-up of incredible shows features multiple styles of performance, plentiful top talent and enough surprises to delight die-hard fans and make critics of the art form think again. Â
The season opener, on 2nd November, is a choral concert featuring Guiseppe Verdi’s Messa da Requiem that was written for the poet Alessandro Manzoni in 1874. Like Verdi’s Don Carlo and Aida, Requiem is a haunting and powerful work, described by a German conductor of the time as “an opera in ecclesiastical robes”. Daniel Barenbaum will conduct. Â
Next up is an homage to the legendary Neapolitan tenor Enrico Caruso on 19th November. This invitation-from-the-Palace-only event comes on the 150th anniversary of the birth of the great singer, who has ties with the Principality, having performed here in 1902 before going on to become a superstar in America. The show features actor Alfonso Antoniozzi and conductor Antonio Pappano. Davide Livermore will direct the performance.Â
To start off 2024, Gianluca Capuano will conduct Davide Livermore’s production of Giulio Cesare in Egitto, the Georg Friedrich Handel masterpiece from 1724. The opera runs four nights in January: 24th, 26th, 28th and 30th. Â
On 29th January, the moving Johannes Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem comes to the stage as a choral concert. First performed in 1869 to honour the deaths of two of the composer’s closest loved ones, the modern version will be skillfully rendered by Regula MĂĽhlemann and Simon Keenlyside, while Gianluca Capuano conducts.Â
To open the Bal de la Rose on 23rd March, Bartoli herself will be joined on stage by world-renowned concert pianist Lang Lang for a recital of pieces by Rossini, Donizetti, Bellini and others; a true experience by amazing talents. Â
And to end the season will be a special staged concert where Bartoli will perform with the celebrated American actor John Malkovich in a world premiere co-production with Printemps des Arts de Monte-Carlo entitled Their Master’s Voice. The show will see music by Händel, Porpora and Vivaldi, among others, brought to life by two masters of the stage. Â
Mada One’s al fresco summer offshoot, Mada Lounge, is set to open for the summer this coming Saturday.Â
The lounge bar will be set up in the Jardins des Boulingrins opposite the Casino de Monte-Carlo in an oasis of verdant greenery that makes for the perfect holiday atmosphere. It’s the ideal spot to go with friends and family for some music and drinks before or after dinner. Â
Mada Lounge combines the signature Mada One flair with a range of refreshing drinks and cocktails as well as live music and DJs to bring the party vibe. On the summer programme: Florent Cheraki and Rebecca Ollier, Micael and Tchai Sene, Anthony & Mariana, The Bossa Nova Project, Mandy & Norbert, and Nadia New Bogard.Â
The open-air bar will be open throughout July and August, Wednesday to Sunday from 5pm until 11pm. Â
