What to do in Monaco in December 2023

Monaco Tribune has compiled a list of the key events you shouldn’t miss in the Principality this month, as well as some ideas for outings.

The Christmas Village

A huge Christmas village will be set up on the Quai Albert Ier in the run-up to the festive season. There will be 24 chalets and 19 food stalls, along with 800 real Christmas trees and 7 rides, including the Big Ferris Wheel, the toboggan run, the Christmas tree merry-go-round and three new attractions (flying chairs, a children’s roller coaster and Santa’s sleigh). The theme of the Christmas village will be a tribute to the “Builder Prince” and more particularly to his different passions: the arts, motor sport, animals and the sea.

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From 7 December 2023 to 7 January 2024
Admission is free and open to all.

Workshops at A Fabricà

Over the month of December, the hall above the Parc Princesse Antoinette will be hosting activities on the theme of Christmas and year-end celebrations.

Saturday 2 December (6 to 12 years): La Plume Animée will read “Pinpin le lutin de Noël,” a Christmas tale. Two sessions are on offer: from 10.30 am to 11.30 am and from 2pm to 3pm.

Wednesday 6 December (2 to 5 years): a reading workshop on a Christmas theme. These workshops consist of a reading session by a professional and a time for interaction with the play mat and books. Sessions are organised by age group: from 3 pm to 3.40 pm for 2/3 year olds and from 3.45 pm to 4.25 pm for 4/5 year olds.

Wednesday 13 December at 3 pm (6-10 years): Christmas wreath making using plants from the Parc Princesse Antoinette, in partnership with Les Petits Écoliers de Monaco. Christmas biscuit decoration (4 yrs and over).

Saturday 16 December: “BuLe de Gâteau” will help the children decorate Christmas cookies. The workshop is organised in two sessions: from 10 am to 10.45 am and from 11 am to 11.45 am

The workshops are free of charge, but must be booked in advance by calling +377 93 15 29 33.

Centenary exhibitions

Last month, last call! The Principality is still hosting a number of exhibitions to mark the centenary year of Prince Rainier III’s birth, “Le Prince Rainier III, un marin avant tout” (Prince Rainier III, above all a sailor), “Le Prince et ses animaux” (The Prince and his animals) and “Le Prince Rainier III, une roseraie en hommage à son épouse” (Prince Rainier III, a rose garden in tribute to his wife) can be seen in the State Apartments at the Prince’s Palace, the Rainier III Zoological Gardens and the Princess Grace rose garden respectively. In the exhibition hall on Quai Antoine I, you can also see the impressive exhibition on the Builder Prince’s entire life’s work! On a different theme, “The Prince at the heart of the circus” opened in November on the Terrasses de Fontvieille, featuring previously unpublished documents and a large collection of circus-related objects.

More details

“Le Prince et ses animaux” : admission €6 – Until 31 December 2023
“Le Prince Rainier III, un marin avant tout” : free admission – Until 31 December 2023
“Prince Rainier III, a rose garden in tribute to his wife”: free admission – Until January 2024
“Le Prince Bâtisseur. Une ambition pour Monaco” (The Builder Prince. An ambition for Monaco): free admission – Until 31 December 2023
“The Prince at the heart of the circus”: from 22 November 2023 to 28 January 2024 – free admission

A few other ideas

2 December: Free Christmas concert at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco – 6.30 pm
3 December: Ligue 1 – AS Monaco / Montpellier – Stade Louis-II at 3pm
3 December: Betclic Elite – AS Monaco Basket / Paris – Salle Gaston Médecin at 7 pm
14 December: Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo – “C’est beau! ” / Grimaldi Forum at 7.30 pm
15 December: Ligue 1 – AS Monaco / Olympique Lyonnais – Stade Louis-II at 9 pm
15 and 16 December: Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo – “Sol Invictus” / Grimaldi Forum at 7.30 pm
17 December: “Tout l’art du cinéma” – “Carmen Jones” at the Grimaldi Forum at 11 am
17 December: Betclic Elite – AS Monaco Basket / Roanne – Salle Gaston Médecin at 2.30 pm
19 December: Tuesday cinema – “In the mood for love” at the Théâtre des Variétés at 8 pm
20 December: Euroleague – AS Monaco Basket / Panathinaikos Aktor Athens – Salle Gaston Médecin at 7 pm
20 to 23 December: Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo – “L’enfant et les sortilèges” / Grimaldi Forum at 7.30 pm
21 December: Theatre – “Au scalpel – Antoine Raoult” at the Théâtre Princesse Grace at 8 pm
29 December: Euroleague – AS Monaco Basket / FC Barcelona – Salle Gaston Médecin at 9 pm