The Monaco Mairie is hosting Christmas holiday workshops at Parc Princesse Antoinette throughout the school holidays, offering activities for every age group. The programme runs from 20th December 2025 to 4th January 2026 in the Salle A Fàbrica at the park’s upper entrance.
The series begins on Saturday 20th December with Christmas storytelling titled Par une belle nuit de Noël, presented by La Valise à Histoires. Two sessions accommodate different age groups: 10:00am to 10:45am for children aged 18 months to 2 years, and 10:45am to 11:30am for ages 3 to 5. Registration is required.
On Sunday 21st December, children aged 7 and up can create Christmas decorations in jesmonite with Lilou from 10:30am to 12:00pm, with registration required. The Roca Games association hosts board games on Tuesday 23rd December from 10:00am to 12:30pm for ages 4 to 107, offering open access without registration.
Boxing Day and beyond
Franck the carpenter leads wooden decoration workshops on Friday 26th December, with two sessions at 10:00am to 12:00pm and 2:00pm to 4:00pm for ages 7 and up. Registration is required for both sessions.
Board games return on Saturday 27th December from 10:00am to 12:30pm for ages 3 to 107, again with open access. On Sunday 28th December, Aritual hosts ceramic painting workshops from 10:30am to 12:00pm for ages 7 and up, with registration required.
The programme continues on Monday 29th December with felt creations workshops run by Sirius mn bar à couture. Two sessions at 10:00am to 11:00am and 11:00am to 12:00pm accommodate children aged 6 and up, with registration required.
New Year activities
After the New Year holiday, Bule de Gâteaux leads biscuit decorating workshops on Friday 2nd January. Two sessions run from 10:00am to 10:45am and 11:00am to 11:45am for ages 6 and up, with registration required.
The final workshop takes place on Sunday 4th January, when Aritual returns to guide winter canvas painting from 10:30am to 12:00pm for ages 6 and up. Registration is required.
All workshops are free for children enrolled in Monaco schools. Registration for workshops requiring advance booking can be made by calling +377 93 15 29 33 or through the town hall website at www.mairie.mc. The workshops take place in Salle A Fàbrica, accessible via the upper entrance of Parc Princesse Antoinette.
As the clock ticks towards the new year, few places can compete with Monaco’s New Year’s Eve glamour. Lights, music and gastronomy… the Principality offers everything from Michelin-starred dinners to firework shows.
For those seeking culinary perfection, the three Michelin-starred Louis XV-Alain Ducasse at the Hôtel de Paris presents a New Year’s Eve dinner at €1,300 per person (including a glass of champagne and hot drinks), with food and wine pairing available at an additional €500 per person. Chef Emmanuel Pilon’s exceptional cuisine promises an unforgettable evening.
The Hôtel de Paris, photo source: MCSBM
Le Grill, the one Michelin-starred restaurant on the eighth floor with sweeping views across of the Principality, offers a single menu at €1,050 per person (drinks excluded).
For those seeking theatrical flair, La Salle Empire hosts a New Year’s Eve dinner show at €1,350 per person with food and wine pairing.
Moving to Hôtel Hermitage Monte-Carlo, at the one Michelin-starred Pavyllon Monte-Carlo by Yannick Alléno, a six-course menu is priced at €990 per person (including half a bottle of champagne, with additional wines available).
Additionally, L’Abysse Monte-Carlo offers a Menu Omakase at €600 per person (drinks excluded) or €800 per person with food and wine pairing while The Salle Belle Epoque presents a five-course menu with musical entertainment at €780 for adults and €390 for children under 12 (including half a bottle of champagne, water, and coffee).
Hermitage Hôtel. Photo by Monaco Life
Following, at the Monte-Carlo Bay Hotel & Resort, the two Michelin-starred Le Blue Bay Marcel Ravin offers a menu at €850 per person (including half a bottle of champagne) from 8pm, while La Table de Marcel presents a menu at €999 per person (wine and food pairing included) from 8pm.
Meanwhile, L’Orange Verte provides a more accessible option at €395 per person (including half a bottle of champagne) with performers from 8pm.
Contemporary dining
The iconic Café de Paris Monte-Carlo serves a New Year’s Eve menu at €470 per person (drinks excluded), with musical entertainment throughout the evening in the heart of Place du Casino.
Café de Paris. Photo source: MCSBM
Meanwhile, the famous Sass’ Cafe frequently preferred by celebrities, offers a set menu at €650 per person including a bottle of Dom Pérignon for two at midnight. Get ready for toro tartare with caviar oscietra, king crab brioche, white truffle risotto, and wagyu filet rossini style, as live music transitions to DJ sets.
Mediterranean and Asian cuisine
GAIA Monte Carlo Carlo hosts an elegant ‘Night in White’ celebration from 8pm, with a dedicated New Year’s Eve set menu at €450 per person featuring caviar platter with sea urchin, tuna peinirli, and kobe beef with foie gras, accompanied by live entertainment and DJ sets.
Moving to Buddha-Bar Monte-Carlo, it offers two options: €490 per person in the restaurant (including half a bottle of Amour Deutz 2014 champagne), or €600 per person in the Lounge for the Dinner & Party Clubbing experience. An Omakase menu is also available at €350 per person with a €250 minimum spend on drinks.
Amazónico also offers two options: an early menu at €200 per person (arrival 7pm-7:30pm) or the main New Year’s Eve menu at €650 per person including €300 for drinks (arrival 9pm-10pm).
Additionally MayaBay presents exquisite Thai-Japonese cuisine with a €350 minimum spend per person. The evening features DJ sets, dancers, and shows.
Lastly, the Niwaki offers special Omakase menu at €350 per person including a bottle of Moët & Chandon champagne or sake for two, water, and coffee. Live music and DJ sets keep the atmosphere lively, with karaoke available in the private lounge.
Hotel dining
The Fairmont Monte Carlo offers two exceptional New Year’s Eve experiences. In the Grand Salon, a New Year’s Eve Gala at €495 per person includes a gourmet buffet, half a bottle of champagne, and festive entertainment featuring cabaret, a magician, a DJ, and children’s entertainment.
At Nobu Monte Carlo, again within Fairmont, an extraordinary eight-course Omakase dinner at €450 per person blends Japanese and Peruvian flavours with festive ingredients including caviar, snow crab, oysters, and foie gras, with one glass of champagne and a live DJ.
Lastly, Marlow at Mareterra offers a New Year’s Eve dinner menu at €280 per person.
Where to dance the night away
Jimmy’z Monte Carlo, the nightclub that has hosted some of the world’s greatest DJs, opens from 11pm on December 31st for an unforgettable New Year’s Eve party. The dress code is elegant and chic.
The winter pop-up at Blue Gin at Monte-Carlo Bay Hotel & Resort offers a festive aperitif from 5pm, with the party starting from 11pm (minimum spend per table €350 based on two people).
For a more refined atmosphere, the Bar Américain at the Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo serves à la carte dinner and tapas with a minimum beverage charge of €1,100 per person from 10pm, including live music and one bottle of Cristal Roederer.
Free public celebration
However, not everything requires booking or deep pockets. The Mairie de Monaco hosts a free, open-access New Year’s Eve celebration at the Monaco Christmas Village on Port Hercule. Two stages animated by DJs will keep the party going from 9pm to 2am, with a spectacular fireworks display set to take place at midnight to welcome 2026.
Important tip: all restaurants and venues require advance reservations for New Year’s Eve, with many requiring prepayment to secure tables.
Just days before Christmas, 730 Monegasque children gathered at the Prince’s Palace on Wednesday afternoon for the annual Christmas tree celebration, a tradition that has connected generations of Monaco’s youngest residents with the Princely Family for over seven decades.
Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene, joined by Hereditary Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella, distributed gifts to children aged five to 12 in a festive atmosphere in the Cour d’Honneur. Princess Stéphanie, Camille Gottlieb and Louis Ducruet also participated in the celebration.
The tradition holds special significance for Monaco, with the first gift distribution in this format dating back to 1949, marking Prince Rainier III’s accession to the throne. Initiated by the Princely Family several decades ago, the annual event has become an emblematic moment in the hearts of Monegasque families.
The afternoon’s programme featured encounters with Father Christmas, artistic performances and sweet treats for the young guests. The Cour d’Honneur was transformed into what organisers described as a fairytale setting for the occasion.
The Monaco Mairie held a community meeting on Monday 15th December at Casa d’I Soci to present details of the upcoming Condamine Market Hall renovation to residents, merchants and local stakeholders ahead of construction beginning in mid-January 2026.
Mayor Georges Marsan chaired the meeting alongside Deputy Mayors Marjorie Crovetto, responsible for municipal commerce, halls and markets, and François Lallemand, responsible for municipal technical services. The session aimed to outline the project’s major elements, detail the timeline and explain measures designed to limit disruption for residents, merchants and market users.
The Market Hall will undergo extensive restructuring in 2026 driven by technical, regulatory and safety requirements, particularly concerning fire protection. Mayor Marsan emphasised the municipal council’s commitment to transparency and dialogue by organising the meeting before construction begins, seeking to involve everyone potentially affected by the renovation.
Market operations during construction
Market activities will continue throughout the estimated 13-month construction period through temporary installation at Place d’Armes. Merchants will operate outdoors in fully equipped kiosks for those preparing food on site, with one marquee accommodating other merchants and approximately 60 seated customers, plus a separate marquee for Solis Bio.
Deputy Mayor Crovetto explained that all produce vendors will remain in the square from 7:00am to 12:00pm. After this time and the dismantling of their stalls, tables and chairs will be installed in their place to increase seating capacity in the square. Customers must leave the premises by 10:30pm when all tables will be removed.
She noted that during the Monaco Grand Prix period from 24th May to 14th June 2026, the outdoor market will be removed to make way for the traditional Fan Zone.
Minimising construction impact
Deputy Mayor Lallemand detailed numerous provisions planned to reduce construction impact, including complete isolation of the work zone, installation of sensors and sound meters to monitor noise pollution, strict adherence to regulated working hours, and execution of the noisiest work outside peak traffic times. Measures will also limit dust and vibration propagation.
A digital monitoring tool will regularly inform residents about construction progress. Lallemand added that lifts providing access to the market from rue Terrazzani will remain functional throughout the work period, as will access to the public car park beneath the market.
Modernised facility
Upon completion, visitors will find a modernised hall whose architectural identity and conviviality will be preserved. The project includes improved thermal, acoustic and olfactory comfort, increased capacity, redesigned spaces and modern equipment, all aligned with Monaco’s Sustainable Mediterranean Buildings framework.
Mayor Marsan concluded that everything has been done to shorten the construction timeline as much as possible to minimise impact on people in the immediate vicinity of the market. “It is important to spare customers, merchants and of course the immediate neighbourhood as much as possible. These are our priorities,” he said.
He indicated that additional meetings for residents could be organised if necessary to support this major transition phase for the neighbourhood.
The Condamine Market Hall serves as an emblematic community gathering place for the quarter. Construction is scheduled to begin in mid-January 2026, with completion expected by spring 2027.
