The Grimaldi Forum has unveiled a packed cultural and events programme for 2026, ranging from major international exhibitions to landmark exhibitions and performances, following a year of strong financial and operational results.
The new season was unveiled on January 13th during the venue’s annual Review & Outlook which attracted more than 700 guests, held ahead of its traditional Galette des Rois gathering. Despite the extraordinary 2025 growth, said Director General Sylvie Biancheri, attention lies solely on the new season ahead.
Biancheri confirmed that the Grimaldi Forum closed 2025 with €28 million in turnover, an increase of 17% compared to the previous year, driven largely by the opening of its 6,000 m² extension and the focus on large-scale professional events.
“We are clearly on a very good path,” she said. “We have already reached our objectives for 2026 and are now exceeding them. If the current context remains stable, 2026, will be a historic year for us.”
Focus on fewer but larger events
In 2025, the venue hosted 64 professional events and 43 cultural performances. While the total number has decreased from previous years, their scale has increased, resulting in higher overall revenue.
“What we are seeing is fewer events, but much bigger ones,” Biancheri explained. “That is exactly what the extension was designed for.”
International events such as AMWC, Luxe Pack, Sportel, the Monte-Carlo Television Festival and Art Monte-Carlo continued to attract record attendance, while newer additions like the Blue Economy and Finance Forum and the Forbes Travel Guide Summit expanded Monaco’s international visibility.
A full cultural season in 2026
The 2026 cultural calendar opens in January with Marine Leonardi’s one woman show ‘Mauvaise Graine’ and the return of Monaco pour l’Emploi on February 6th. The Opéra de Monte-Carlo will then present Così fan tutte, staged within the Grimaldi Forum, followed in March by the 20th anniversary edition of ‘Les Sérénissimes de l’Humour’, featuring Issa Doumbia, Dany Boon and Nawell Madani.
Following, the spring programming includes the Printemps des Arts de Monte-Carlo, theatrical co-productions with the Théâtre Princesse Grace, concerts by David Hallyday and Jérémy Frerot, and the return of Art Monte-Carlo at the end of April.
The Monte Carlo Television Festival will then take place from June 12th to 16th, before a summer season that is marked by several major anniversaries. Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo will celebrate their 40th anniversary with special surprise performances in July, while the Paris Opera Ballet will present ‘La Dame aux Camélias’ in co-production with the Ballets de Monte-Carlo.
The year will close with Shrek the Musical in December.
Exhibitions and international projects
The biggest project for 2026 is the major exhibition ‘Monaco and the Automobile: From 1893 to the Present’, running from July to September. Supported by the Automobile Club of Monaco, the exhibition traces the Principality’s long relationship with automotive history.
“It’s an emotional and historical exhibition, not just for motorsport fans,” said Biancheri.
The Grimaldi Forum is also resuming the international circulation of its exhibitions. Colours!, one of its most visited shows with 75,000 visitors in Monaco, is opening in Beijing in January at the Mingzheng Art Museum, in collaboration with the Centre Pompidou.
The venue has also renewed its ISO 14001 and ISO 20121 certifications and continues its CSR initiatives, including the redistribution of 26 tonnes of materials in 2025, among them 1.3 tonnes of food, and one solidarity day per employee per year.
The January 13th event also saw the integral, annual signing of the main partnership agreement between the Grimaldi Forum and CMB Monaco, formalised by Henri Fissore, Sylvie Biancheri, Étienne Franzi and Olivier Pagés.
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Main photo credit Monaco Life.