MONACO-MONTECARLO. Faithful to its traditions the Principality of Monaco governed by the Grimaldi dynasty since 1297 is preparing as usual to celebrate the New Year 2017. There is no more denying it, Christmas is well on its way and I can’t believe 2017 is just around the corner. But, I am not worried as in Montecarlo bottles are already lined up and ready to be popped! You just can’t beat a New Year’s Eve in Montecarlo as the Principality is livening up Montecarlo’s pulse for the festive season, celebrating New Year with its iconic grandeur, history and theatre. First above all, every restaurant, every venue, every bar is livening up Montecarlo’s pulse for the festive season. Therefore, those who will come to visit Montecarlo will be able to letting loose with the live music, parades and a lot of animation, throughout December. After the first Christmas Parade on 14 December and the Red and White Parade on 14 and 18 December, the Parades are getting on with the Red Light Parades on 17 December, the Blue Parade and its Bear on 30 December and the Polar Bears Parade on the 2017 first day. From Monday 19 to Saturday, December 24, the village will host some special activities, such as the photos offered with Santa Claus, for the kids’joy. A special animation “La Forêt enchantée” (The Enchanted Forest) will take place on Tuesday 20 December and “Les Fées Lumineuses” (The glowing Fairies) will enchant the afternoon of Thursday 22 December. From 17 December the workshops will take place every day until 2 January: make-up, balloons, angels, greeting cards, Christmas balls, candles, Christmas socks, Christmas wreaths … Everything will be set up to make children and all visitors happy. The mild Montecarlo weather did not prevent the installation of an ice rink and a series of events on ice, with a special appointment of Sunday 25 February 2017 for the Championship of Monaco skating! Sunday, December 18 at 5:30 pm, the “Confidences” Ice Show will be presented by the Quebec troupe Le Patin Libre – Compagnie de Patinage Contemporain, as part of the Monaco Dance Forum and in collaboration with the Monte-Carlo Ballets. Access and parking will be free.
Thursday, December 22 at 7 pm, Christmas Aperitif Concert. Finally, after their appearance at the Monte-Carlo Sporting Summer Festival 2015, SBM will be welcoming the Italian band Il Volo back to the Sporting Monte-Carlo for the last evening of 2016. On 31st December, the legendary Salle des Etoiles will be hosting an unforgettable New Year’s Eve dinner show starting at 8:30 pm until everybody will make a mockery out of bedtime by staying out late.
After a rocky 2016, there’s a lot of pressure to have a good time on New Year’s Eve 2017 and we of Montecarlotimes actually hope that everybody will have the occasion to forget for some time both the enormous global emergencies and the minor individual difficulties.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
From the Senior Editor Ilio Masprone and the Montecarlotimes’ team