Playboy Editor

Every year, Monaco offers a unique selection of all kinds of events, which every time becomes richer and more diverse. 2024 is no exception: the Principality is again ready to host world-class events, both business and entertainment. Sponsors, participants and guests come here from all over the world. Here is a list of key events that will take place in the Principality in the spring:

1. Monte Carlo Fashion Week (April 22–26)

The next, 12th Monte Carlo Fashion Week will certainly become one of the most glamorous spring events in the Principality. The organizer of the colorful show, held under the high patronage of Princess Charlene, is the Monaco Fashion Chamber. Monte-Carlo Fashion Week aims to highlight sustainable and ethical fashion and raise awareness of the importance of protecting our planet.

2. Monaco E-Prix (April 27)

From June 2021, the Formula E World Championship, previously held in the Principality every two years, has become an annual event. Let us remind you that the class of motor racing on electric vehicles with open wheels was organized in 2012, and the stage taking place in Monaco was first included in the World Championship calendar in the 2014–2015 season. The entire day of April 27 will be dedicated to the Electric Formula race, which will be held in Monaco for the seventh time this year. First there will be free practice, then qualifying and finally the final start. From 2021, Monaco E-Prix drivers compete on the classic Formula 1 circuit, which is very complex and unpredictable, which only underlines the technological progress in the production of electric vehicles and the increasing skill of the participants.

3. International Dog Show (May 4–5)

On the first weekend in May, nine members of an international jury will choose the best four-legged participant at the annual dog show in Monaco. Harmony of line and shape in accordance with breed standards, healthy appearance, correct posture and training are just some of the criteria traditionally assessed. The exhibition is held under the auspices of the Monaco Kennel Club, a member of the International Cynological Federation FCI, whose chairman is Melanie-Antoinette de Massy. The President of the first Monaco Dog Show, held in 1927, was HRH Princess Charlotte, grandmother of the current Sovereign. After 1950, this role passed to her daughter Princess Antoinette, and from 2011 to 2020, the honorary post was held by Princess Charlotte’s granddaughter, Baroness Elisabeth-Anne de Massy.

5. Historic Monaco Grand Prix (May 10–12)

This year the Historical Grand Prix will be held in the Principality for the fourteenth time. After the huge success of the previous competition, the Automobile Club of Monaco decided to maintain the eight series and classes in the race without any changes. Participants in the Historic Grand Prix will compete on the famous Formula 1 circuit, where 80% of the straights and corners are the same as in 1929, the year the first Monaco Grand Prix was held. A special feature of this year will be a series of celebrations and anniversaries, starting from the centenary of the creation of the Bugatti 35 car and ending with the fortieth anniversary of the scandalous Grand Prix of 1984, when, due to the decisions of the judges, Ayrton Senna was deprived of victory (then the race was stopped due to rain, and the winner was declared Alain Prost).

6. Ready for IT (May 14–16)

The event, called Ready for IT, is three days of business negotiations and discussions dedicated to digital transformation, as well as high-quality content and a friendly atmosphere, bringing together both established players in the IT industry and startups that boldly go beyond the norm. Ready for IT participants will enjoy personal meetings with suppliers and executives of IT companies, demonstrations of new products and feedback, a platform for presenting innovations, conferences and expert round tables dedicated to the main trends in the industry.

7. 76th Cannes Film Festival (May 14–25)

The annual film festival, one of the oldest and most prestigious in the world, will traditionally be held at the Palais des Festivals and Congresses in Cannes. This year, the jury of the main competition will be headed by American director, screenwriter and actress Greta Gerwig, who directed the comedy “Barbie”, which grossed more than a billion dollars at the box office. The chairman of the Un Certain Regard competition will be the famous Canadian director Xavier Dolan.

8. Grand Ball of Princes and Princesses (May 22)

During the film festival, the Grand Ball of Princes and Princesses will take place at the Carlton Hotel in Cannes. In 1954, the romantic thriller To Catch a Thief, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Grace Kelly and Cary Grant, was released. Many scenes of this film were filmed at the famous hotel on the Croisette. Guests of the Grand Ball, entering the magnificent building, will, of course, remember the delightful Grace Kelly, who, while filming this film, did not even suspect that very soon the Cote d’Azur would become her second home. The organization of the fabulous evening, held under the high patronage of Prince Albert II, is being carried out by the Noble Monte-Carlo holiday and events agency, whose director and inspiration is the singer Delia Grace Noble.

9. 81st Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix (23–26 May)

The eighth round of the 2024 Formula 1 World Championship starts in Monaco on May 23 and will last four days. This season, which began on March 2 in Bahrain and will end on December 8 in Abu Dhabi, a record number of races is planned — 24. In addition to the main competition on the legendary track, additional series F2, F3, Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup are also planned. Let us remind you that the Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc, who plays for the Ferrari team, took fifth place in the individual competition last season, and Max Verstappen became the world champion, winning 19 stages out of twenty-two.

In 1953, 27-year-old Hugh Hefner founded the legendary magazine in the United States. Then he had $8,000 in his hands, which he collected with difficulty. Hugh sold his furniture to a pawnshop, borrowed money from the bank and from his parents, and eventually collected the necessary amount to launch the glossy magazine.

Before this, the young man had experience in publishing. At school, Hugh published wall newspapers, and during his student years he worked at Esquire magazine.

Initially, the publisher wanted to call his magazine “Bachelor Party” or Stag Party and asked his friend Arv Miller to design a logo. This is how the image of a deer in a tuxedo appeared. But before the release of the first issue, it turned out that a magazine with a similar name already existed (Stag), so this word was forbidden to use. Then Hugh Hefner took the name from the car company and asked his friend Arthur Paul to improve the previous logo. This is how the company acquired the legendary hare in a tuxedo.

Hugh created the first issue in his own apartment. He wanted to distinguish his publication from competitors and he came up with the idea of ​​creating spreads with girls, so that these pages could then be hung on the wall.

For the premiere issue, Hefner bought photographs of Marilyn Monroe from a friend. He placed them on the cover of the first Playboy.

Playboy Clubs and the Bunny Girls.

In 1959, Hefner opened his first Playboy Club. In 1960, the establishment opened in Chicago. It was followed by branches in New Orleans, New York and Miami. The visitor had to pay $25 for the “key.” One of the highlights of the place, dreamed up by Hefner, was the «Bunny Girls» dressed in bodysuits, bunny ears and tails.

The girls created a real sensation and became sex symbols of the 1960s.

By this time, there were 30 Playboy establishments around the world, and in total more than 1 million people belonged to the clubs.

In the 60s the magazine became very popular. Hugh Hefner also began publishing interviews with famous people during this period. For example, Vladimir Nabokov, Andy Warhol and other cult personalities.

In 1971, the company’s shares appeared on the New York Stock Exchange. Annual profits in the early seventies were $11 million. In 1972, Hefner decides to launch Playboy in Germany, and three months later — in Italy. Over time, the magazine appeared in other countries.

Interesting facts about Playboy.

1. The first TV show to promote racial equality was Playboy’s Penthouse. Hugh Hefner suggested that his program include people of different skin colors.

2. The bunny logo is hidden on almost all covers of the publication — this is a Playboy tradition. In the 70s this led to a huge number of requests from readers. They asked for a hint where to find the rabbit.

3. Playboy achieved financial success thanks to its branded establishments. They brought the most income to the company.

4. The iconic Playboy logo was created in 30 minutes.

5. Unlike Hustler, Penthouse and other competitors, Playboy never published pornography. Hugh Hefner invited legendary women to shoot for his publication. For example, Cindy Crawford, Sophia Loren.

6. Most recently, a photograph of Marilyn Monroe, which was published in the first issue of Playboy, was put up for auction. In 1953, the girl was still unknown to anyone.

7. Since 1970, Playboy began publishing a version of the magazine for the blind. It is written in Braille. One of its features is that all erotica here is described in words.

For over 100 years, the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters has been one of the most prestigious and renowned events in the world of international tennis. Since 2000, the Monte Carlo Tournament has been part of the elite ATP Championship: Masters Series. The best players on the planet will meet on the courts of the Monte-Carlo Country Club. The winners of this competition were such talented players as Gustavo Kuerten, Cedric Piolin, Andrey Chesnokov, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Guillermo Coria, Ivan Lendl, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, who won the tournament 8 times in a row from 2005 to 2012 and set an unsurpassed record in the world of tennis!

However, this event was not always so popular. It was first held back in 1896 from April 23 to 29. The winner of the first competition was the Englishman George Whiteside Hilyard, who beat the German Count Victor Eugene Voss-Schonot. The following year, the British continued to lead when Briton Reginald Doherty defeated his compatriot Conway W. Blackwood Price.

So, from year to year, more and more new participants arrived here, wanting to show their skills, and over time, the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters became what it is now. Initially, the competition was held in singles, but only in 1969 did professional players begin to participate in the competition. Thus, the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters is the oldest tournament in all of Europe. Today it includes twenty-four teams and fifty-six tennis players competing in singles.

In fact, the tournament is not taking place in Monaco, but in the small French town of Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, which borders the principality, and in fact the organizers, Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, lease land from the French Republic for the courts, as well as administratively — sports facilities necessary for the games.

The main tennis club in Monaco is the Monte-Carlo Country Club, which was born thanks to the American philanthropist George Butler, a great lover and patron of tennis, and in particular, the famous French tennis player Suzanne Lenglen, who became the first multiple winner and female tennis champion during the period from 1914 to 1926, when she won 31 championship titles.

Each year, the final prize is awarded to the winner by one of the members of the princely family. There have always been warm and friendly relations between the Monte-Carlo Country Club and the ruling family. Prince Rainier III, a great tennis fan, and his wife Grace Kelly supported the development of the club. And Prince Melanie’s cousin, Antoinette, headed the club for many years, until she was replaced in this post by her daughter Elizabeth-Anna Massy. Today, Prince Albert II remains a fan of the tournament and is always present as a spectator at competitions whenever possible.
To this day, the Rolex Masters tournament takes place on the clay courts of the Monte-Carlo Country Club, attracting an audience of thousands not only in the stands, which are designed for 9,000 spectators, but also on TV screens, as the competition is broadcast in 66 countries around the world.

The main sponsor and partner of Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters has been the famous Swiss watch brand Rolex for several years now. And the prize fund of the tournament grows every year.

European athletes are increasingly becoming winners, but in 1990, Andrei Chesnokov won in Monaco, who is currently the only Russian winner of this prestigious competition.

This year, the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters tennis tournament will take place from April 6 to 14, and for the 117th time, Monte-Carlo Country Club will invite world-class tennis stars to its courts and terraces with colorful views of the Mediterranean.