11 ° C
Profile

Day: 22 May 2024

Cannes Film Festival welcomes the Olympic flame to the red carpet

by: Stephanie Horsman
22/05/2024

In an event that coincided with the timely premiere of Mickaël Gamrasni’s Olympiques! La France des Jeux, the Olympic flame made a detour from its relay route through France to make a stop at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this week. 

Not until mid-June will the City of Film officially welcome the Olympic Torch.

Between 17th and 18th June, the flame is set to pass through the Alpes-Maritimes, visiting towns and cities including Cannes, Nice, Antibes and Grasse as well as Villefranche-sur-Mer, Valberg and Valdeblore-La Colmiane. 

However, on 21st May, the flame and its handlers were given a special dispensation to make a stop at the Palais des Congrès et des Festivals. 

French athletes including Arnaud Assoumani, Nelia Barbosa, Alexis Hanquinquant and Marie Patouillet were also invited to attend the symbolic event. They passed the Torch between them at the top of the red carpet, each clearly moved by the moment.  

“What a joy it is to welcome such a host of Olympic stars,” said Iris Knobloch, President of the Cannes Film Festival, and Thierry Frémaux, General Delegate, in a joint statement. “We look forward to continuing to write the great history between sport and the Seventh Art, and to delve with as much fervour as happiness into a century of participation in the Olympic Games, which have left an indelible mark on our collective memory.” 

Later that evening, documentarian Mickaël Gamrasni screened his new film, Olympiques! La France des Jeux. Watching on were a host of French former and current athletes and sports personalities, many of whom feature in the movie. 

The film, produced by France Télévision, presents three generations of French Olympians, who speak of their country’s special relationship with the Games. Among those interviewed are David Douillet, Guy Drut, Jean Galfione, Céline Gerny, Laura Flessel, Laure Manaudou and Cédric Nankin. 

Read related:

Trainspotting and Scorsese’s After Hours among the titles to watch for free at Cannes’ Cinéma de la Plage

 

Join the Monaco Life community – sign up for the Monaco Life newsletter, follow our Podcasts on Spotify, and check us out on Threads, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Tik Tok.   

 

Photo source: Paris 2024, Facebook

Grand Prix: Major roads and access points to close in Monaco for four days 

by: Elsa Carpenter
22/05/2024

Over the coming days, the Principality will be entirely turned over to the Monaco Grand Prix as Formula 1 fever grips the region. Here is a rundown of all the important road closures, parking bans and changes to the local bus network that visitors and locals need to know about.  

Between 23rd and 26th May, from early in the morning until the end of the racing events, numerous roadways in the Principality will be shut down. Some of the roads will be closed because they feature in the famous street circuit, while others are important access routes for the organisers and safety crews, and therefore must be kept clear of all other traffic. 

The following roads will be affected for the full four days of the event: 

Boulevard Albert Ier; Place du Casino; Avenue des Citronniers, up to the entrance of the Métropole carpark; Avenue Princesse Grace, from Avenue des Spélugues until Boulevard Louis II; Avenue des Spélugues; Boulevard Louis II; Avenue J.F. Kennedy; Avenue de la Madone, from the intersection with Avenues des Spélugues and Avenue de Grande-Bretagne; Avenue de Monte-Carlo; Avenue d’Ostende; Avenue de la Costa, between No.3 and Avenue d’Ostende; Quai Albert Ier; Quai Antoine Ier; Rue Grimaldi, between Place Sainte-Dévote and Rue Princesse Florestine; Avenue de la Quarantaine; Quai des États-Unis; Route de la Piscine; Jules Soccal jetty; Darse Sud; Rue des Açores; the Rocher Albert Ier tunnel; the Rocher Noghès tunnel; the Rocher Antoine Ier tunnel; Avenue des Papalins, between No.13 and No.39; and the passage between Avenue des Papalins and Avenue Albert II. 

Additionally, the one-way systems on the following routes will be reversed for the duration of the event:

Rue Princesse Florestine, between Rue Suffren Reymond and Rue Grimaldi; Rue de Millo, between Rue Saige and Rue Terrazzani; Avenue du Port, from the intersection with Avenue de la Quarantaine to Place d’Armes; Rue Suffren Reymond, between Rue Louis Notari and Rue Princesse Florestine; Rue Saige; and Rue Terrazzani.

A two-way system will be put in place on the following roadways in order to alleviate the flow of traffic:

Rue Grimaldi, between Rue Suffren Reymond and Place d’Armes; and Rue Notari, between Rue Suffren Reymond and Rue Princesse Antoinette. 

There will also be occasional closures to Boulevard du Larvotto between its intersection with Avenue Princesse Grace and Rue du Portier, in both directions, and in the area surrounding the Portier roundabout.  

The usual one-way traffic flow in Monaco-Ville, also known as The Rock, will be suspended entirely on 25th and 26th May. Furthermore, only vehicles registered in Monaco will be able to access the Avenue de la Porte Neuve on these days.  

See more: Top tips for travelling to and from the Monaco Grand Prix

Given the widespread closures, numerous public and private carparking facilities will be out of action for much of the Monaco Grand Prix. Street parking will also be very restricted, with bans coming into force between 23rd and 26th May on dozens of roads, boulevards and avenues. For the full list of streets affected, click here.  

The electric Monaco ON charging stations on Rue Grimaldi, Rue Louis Notari, Rue Florestine, Quai des États-Unis, Avenue de la Madone and Avenue de la Quarantaine will be temporarily disconnected during the three principal race days.  

All six bus lines and the four express lines of the Compagnie Autobus de Monaco network will be impacted by the event between 23rd and 26th May, while the French Zou ! bus lines that run through the Principality will be impacted from 24th to 26th May. Click here for more information.  

The shuttle services between the Salines carpark, Navette Circuit and Navette Salines, will, however, continue throughout the event. 

Read related:

Special rates offered at new Salines carpark during E-Prix, Historique GP and F1 weekends

 

Join the Monaco Life community – sign up for the Monaco Life newsletter, follow our Podcasts on Spotify, and check us out on Threads, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Tik Tok.   

 

Photo by Monaco Life