16 ° C
Profile

Tag: monaco

Monte-Carlo Printemps des Arts Festival returns with ‘Utopias’ theme

by: Kyriaki Topalidou
01/01/2026

The Monte-Carlo Printemps des Arts festival has unveiled its 2026 programme, providing a chance to music lovers to experience 27 concerts featuring more than 80 works performed by 260 artists from March 11th to April 19th. 

Artistic director Bruno Mantovani revealed the season’s highlights during a presentation at the Oceanographic Museum on December 5th, which will present 12 world premiere performances, and showcase works by 50 different composers.

The 42nd edition is titled ‘Utopies – opus 1’ and will place musical instruments at the heart of the programme. Both period and modern instruments will feature in dialogue from Renaissance masters to contemporary composers.

The festival, presided over by Princess Caroline of Hanover, will open on March 11th with works by Gesualdo and Monteverdi performed by La Venexiana and Duo Xamp at the Église Saint-Charles. The following evening, the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra will present pieces by Stravinsky, Monnet and Debussy at the Auditorium Rainier III.

Concerts will take place in various locations including the Oceanographic Museum, the Prince of Monaco’s Car Collection, as well as venues in Nice such as the Théâtre National’s Franciscan hall.

Highlights include a candlelit concert on March 14th featuring violinist Tedi Papavrami and pianist Jean-Frédéric Neuburger, and ‘La Grande Battle’ by Ensemble I Gemelli at the Oceanographic Museum on 13th March.

The programme also features performances from earlier centuries, including ‘Laude Novella’ by Ensemble Gilles Binchois and ‘Harmonia Artificiosa’ by Ensemble Artifices, alongside major works such as Messiaen’s Turangalîla-Symphonie performed by the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra at the Grimaldi Forum on 4th April.

The festival concludes with ‘Miniatures’, a series of ballet performances by Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo from 16th to 19th April.

Accessible pricing

In a significant change for 2026, the festival has introduced the same pricing for most concerts at €20, making the festival more accessible to audiences.

Exceptions include concerts in partnership with the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra and Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo. The festival remains free for under 25-year-olds with advance booking.

Tickets are now available online via the Monte-Carlo Ticket platform: https://indiv.themisweb.fr/0526/fListeManifs.aspx?idstructure=0526 or at the box office in the Casino de Monte-Carlo’s entrance hall, open Tuesday to Saturday from 10am to 5:30pm, and on concert Sundays from 10am to 4pm (closed 24th and 25th December).

Stay updated with Monaco Life: sign up for our free newsletter, catch our podcast on Spotify, and follow us across Facebook,  Instagram, LinkedIn, and Tik Tok.

Photo credit: OPMC

Condamine market to host farewell party ahead of temporary closure

by: Kyriaki Topalidou
31/12/2025

Monaco’s much-loved Condamine Market will host a special farewell celebration next week, before the interior of its hall closes temporarily.

La Mairie is inviting residents and visitors to join the free entrance event on January 7th, from 6:30pm to 10:30pm, under the theme ‘A se revëde’, Monégasque dialect for ‘see you again’.

The evening will feature a DJ set and dance floor, giving the community a chance to enjoy the market’s atmosphere before the temporary closure. Food and drink will be available for purchase on site throughout the event.

The Condamine Market, located in the port district, has long served as a gathering place for locals. It is for that reason that the event is open and welcoming for all, keeping up with the warm spirit of the market.

Wednesday’s closure will mark the beginning of the 13-month long, and much anticipated, renovation plans.

For the event, no prior booking is required as everyone is welcome to attend.

Stay updated with Monaco Life: sign up for our free newsletter, catch our podcast on Spotify, and follow us across Facebook,  Instagram, LinkedIn, and Tik Tok.

Main photo credit: Cassandra Tanti 

Author Sylvie Le Bihan to discuss new novel at Hotel Metropole

by: Kyriaki Topalidou
30/12/2025

Award nominated novelist Sylvie Le Bihan will appear at the Hôtel Métropole Monte-Carlo on January 20th to discuss her latest work, ‘L’ami Louis’.

The book takes readers through 20th century French literary history, honouring the working class roots of writers like Albert Camus and Louis Guilloux. Le Bihan pays tribute to the “petites gens”, the ordinary people, from whom these writers came.

Set in 1976, the novel follows Élisabeth Daguin, who returns to Paris to work as an assistant to Bernard Pivot on his television programme Apostrophes. Estranged from her family, her life changes when she meets the ageing writer Louis Guilloux, a friend of Camus who has faded from public memory.

What begins as a professional interview develops into a personal connection. Through their conversations, Louis reconnects with a lost love while Élisabeth uncovers secrets about her own family history.

In Le Bihan’s telling, major literary figures including Camus, Guilloux, Grenier and Malraux come vividly to life. Above all, the book explores friendship, solidarity and the values that guided these writers’ commitment to freedom.

Additionally, her previous novels have earned critical acclaim, with ‘Les Sacrifiés’ shortlisted for the prestigious Prix Renaudot.

Places are limited and advance booking is required. Anyone interested can contact (+377) 93 15 15 41 or m.fays@metropole.com to reserve.

Stay updated with Monaco Life: sign up for our free newsletter, catch our podcast on Spotify, and follow us across Facebook,  Instagram, LinkedIn, and Tik Tok.

Main photo credit: Eric Garault

Monaco edge past Real Madrid in thrilling EuroLeague game

by: Kyriaki Topalidou
29/12/2025

AS Monaco Basket claimed a thrilling 100-95 victory over Real Madrid in a tense EuroLeague basketball match at the Gaston Médecin arena, securing an important win in front of their first sell-out crowd of the season.

The result keeps the home side in sixth place in what’s proving to be a tight EuroLeague campaign. Both teams came into the game with identical 10-7 records, and the match lived up to the fans’ anticipation between two evenly matched sides.

Real Madrid’s Facundo Campazzo was the game’s standout performer with 28 points, repeatedly threatening from long range. Centre Walter Tavares also stood out from early on, dominating with 21 points and 11 rebounds that caused Monaco problems throughout the first half.

However, Monaco’s strength lay in their balanced attack. Elie Okobo led the scoring with 22 points, while Mike James led the offence with 15 points and five assists. Matthew Strazel and Nemanja Nedovic both contributed 12 points, with Alpha Diallo adding 11 in a solid all-round display.

The contest remained on a knife-edge for three quarters, with the teams locked at 70-70 heading into the final period. It was then that Monaco found another gear. Nedovic and Nikola Mirotic took control, with the latter’s back-to-back three-pointers managing to establish a 10-point cushion at 85-75.

Campazzo continued to fire from distance in the closing stages, but Monaco’s defence held firm under pressure to close out the victory in front of their home crowd.

Strazel, who spent much of the evening battling Campazzo defensively, said afterwards: “I feel like I did a great job on him, but he still finished with 28 points. Defensively, we made the right stops at the right moments.”

Monaco coach Vassilis Spanoulis praised his team’s work on the boards during difficult stretches. “It’s a great victory for us,” he said, though he acknowledged the challenge ahead with four players due at the All-Star Game before their next fixture against Barcelona.

The win keeps Monaco in the playoff places in what has been an unusually competitive EuroLeague season, where staying in the top eight requires consistent performances at home.

Stay updated with Monaco Life: sign up for our free newsletter, catch our podcast on Spotify, and follow us across Facebook,  Instagram, LinkedIn, and Tik Tok.

Main photo credit: Direction de la Communication – Manuel Vitali

Winter sales 2026: when the bargains begin in Monaco and France

by: Kyriaki Topalidou
29/12/2025

Every year after the Christmas holidays end, people start to look forward to the winter sales: four weeks of shopping therapy with official discounts starting in early January. 

In Monaco, like any other year, the winter sales kick off slightly earlier. Most shops begin their sales on Thursday 2nd January 2026, while sports retailers start later on Saturday 15th February.

Across most of mainland France, including the Côte d’Azur, the winter sales will take place from Wednesday 7th January until Tuesday 3rd February 2026, starting at 8am on the opening day.

Online shops must follow these same dates, no matter where they’re located.

However, shops in four departments along France’s eastern frontier get a one-week head start – beginning Friday 2nd January and finishing Thursday 29th January. This earlier schedule helps them stay competitive with retailers just across the border. The departments are: Moselle, Meurthe-et-Moselle, Meuse, and Vosges.

The rules behind French sales

France’s sales periods operate under strict regulations. Retailers can only reduce prices on goods they had in stock before the sales started, and all discounted items must be clearly labelled.

Price cuts must be measured against whatever the shop charged during the month beforehand, and businesses can only use the term ‘soldes’ during official sales windows.

Standard consumer rights apply throughout. While physical shops only have to accept returns on defective items, online purchases come with the usual fortnight to change your mind.

Reductions are set to reach 50% at shops across the region, with some retailers dropping prices further as the month progresses.

Stay updated with Monaco Life: sign up for our free newsletter, catch our podcast on Spotify, and follow us across Facebook,  Instagram, LinkedIn, and Tik Tok.

Main photo credit: Ron Lach, Pexels. 

Monaco’s local businesses celebrated at first Carlo and UCAM Awards

by: Kyriaki Topalidou
22/12/2025

More than 100 business owners, traders and artisans came together on December 17th for the first evening in support of local commerce, organised by Carlo and the Union of Traders and Artisans of Monaco (UCAM).

The event, held at Marius, celebrated Monaco’s retail scene at a key moment: the year-end shopping season.

Five retailers were recognised with Carlo Awards, selected by the Carlo community. Woo took home the ‘Favourite Shop’ award, Narmino the ‘Best Storefront’, Yume the ‘Friendliest Shop’, AMC Haute Couture the ‘Best Customer Experience’, and Fnac Monaco the ‘Most Innovative Shop’.

Awards were presented by National Councillor Corinne Bertani, President of Be Safe Camille Gottlieb, four-time world free-diving champion Pierre Frolla, content creator and founder of ‘Vivre Monaco’ Romain Picard, and Head of Protocol and Communication for the Diocese of Monaco Ferxel Fourgon.

The challenging retail scene

Carlo CEO Antoine Bahri highlighted the challenges retailers face, saying, “In Monaco, as elsewhere, the challenges are very real: changing consumer habits, competition from e-commerce giants, the constant pressure on prices, ever-increasing customer expectations, and strong regulatory constraints.” He added, “Local commerce is far more than simply an economic sector. It is a human relationship. It is what connects us… it represents a commitment to quality, service, and trust, reflecting the image and identity of our country.”

A film was also screened during the event, featuring voices from Monaco’s business and institutional community. Afterwards, a moving contribution from Alain Latorre of the Capucine boutique followed, which closed this year after more than 60 years of operation.

Government and National Council representatives thanked then retailers for their role in keeping Monaco alive, before the evening wrapped up with a networking cocktail.

Founded six years ago in Monaco, Carlo now counts nearly 750 partner merchants and over 80,000 users while UCAM continues to represent around 150 traders and artisans

Stay updated with Monaco Life: sign up for our free newsletter, catch our podcast on Spotify, and follow us across Facebook,  Instagram, LinkedIn, and Tik Tok.

Main photo provided.