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.
