The 77th Monaco Red Cross Gala will forgo the guest-star concert that has closed its recent editions when it returns to the Sporting Monte-Carlo on 18th July, in the presence of Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene, President and Vice-President of the Monaco Red Cross. In place of the headline act, the Salle des Étoiles will host the preview of a production staged in-house by Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer, part of a reworked running order for the association’s principal annual fundraiser.
The edition will also draw two senior figures from the wider movement, with Kate Forbes, President of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and Dr Caroline Cross, President of the French Red Cross, both expected to attend, a sign of Monaco’s standing in the international Red Cross network.
A show in place of a headline act
Where the 2025 gala ended with a concert by Billy Idol, this year the Sporting stage will preview ‘SOUL!’, a production first run by Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer in 2025 and returning with new material. The performance traces the development of Afro-American music, moving from the rock’n’roll of Chuck Berry and Little Richard through funk to the R’n’B of Alicia Keys and Beyoncé. Guests will arrive to a 360-degree set-up in the lobby, new to this edition, and the evening will carry on at Jimmy’z Monte-Carlo, reworked as a speakeasy with a jazz band.
The dinner and raffle
The dinner has been created by double Michelin-starred chef Marcel Ravin and prepared by Thierry Saez Manzanares, chef of the Sporting Monte-Carlo, with the resort’s kitchen and wine teams; dessert falls to pastry chef Cédric Grolet. Model and actress Estelle Lefébure and presenter Marc Toesca will host a raffle of four prizes, preceded by the customary fireworks fired from the sea. Tickets are priced at €1,900 a head, covering dinner and a half-bottle of Grand Cru champagne.
An artwork for the Red Cross
As at previous galas, an artwork will be handed to the Monaco Red Cross during the evening. This year it is ‘Eloge de l’Espoir’, a hand-modelled ceramic wall sculpture by the Belgian artist Johan Creten, built around the emblem of the red cross. Creten, born in 1963, is among the sculptors credited with reviving ceramics in contemporary art, and the piece belongs to his ‘Odore di Femmina’ series, which has been shown at the Louvre and the Centre Pompidou. The painted and glazed cross is intended to echo the improvised emblems used in war zones and disaster areas, where urgency takes precedence over formal perfection.
The Monaco Red Cross
Founded on 3rd March 1948 by Prince Louis II and recognised the same year by the International Committee of the Red Cross, the Monaco Red Cross is one of the 191 national societies of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. It was chaired by Prince Rainier III from 1949 to 1958 and by Princess Grace until 1982, and has been led by Prince Albert II since December 1982. Its work runs from assisting vulnerable people and saving lives to disaster preparedness and humanitarian awareness, both in Monaco and abroad.
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Main photo credit: Michaël Alesi, Frédéric Nebinger / Palais princier