Bal de la Rose Dress Code: What to Wear?
A published rule, a theme that changes every year: what the evening asks for, and how to dress for the weekend in Monaco around it.
Last updated 5 October 2026 · 3 min read
The dress code published by the organiser of the Bal de la Rose is "Black tie – evening dress": a dinner jacket for men, a long evening gown for women. Each edition also has its theme — the Caribbean in 2025, outer space in 2026 — which inspires the décor and may be echoed in a detail of one's attire, without ever replacing the rule. For 2027, the theme has not been announced. For the weekend around it, Monaco in March calls for considered elegance: evening wear for the great tables, a jacket or a stole for the cool evenings. A stylist prepares the attire in advance.
The rule: black tie, evening dress
Each year the organiser publishes the same dress code: "Black tie – evening dress". For men, a dinner jacket with a black bow tie; for women, a long evening gown. It is a gala-evening rule, not a suggestion: the attire is part of the evening.
In practice, black tie is worn with a white shirt and patent or impeccably polished shoes; the evening gown is long, and is completed by a stole or a jacket for the journeys, as March evenings are cool by the sea.
The year's theme
Each edition has its theme, chosen under the aegis of the presidency of the Princess Grace Foundation and staged by a designer given free rein over the décor, the light, the dinner and the show. The theme transforms the hall; it may inspire a detail of attire — a colour, a piece of jewellery, a fabric — without replacing the rule of black tie and evening dress.
Recent editions give the measure: Bollywood in 2023, disco in 2024, the Caribbean with "The Sunset Ball" in 2025, outer space with "Galaxy Rose Ball" for the seventieth edition, in 2026. For 2027, the theme has not been announced as of 5 October 2026; we do not anticipate it.
| Edition | Theme | Dress code |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Bollywood | Black tie – evening dress |
| 2024 | Disco | Black tie – evening dress |
| 2025 | "The Sunset Ball", the Caribbean | Black tie – evening dress |
| 2026 | "Galaxy Rose Ball", outer space | Black tie – evening dress |
| 2027 | Not announced as of 5 October 2026 | As set by the organiser |
Dressing for the weekend around the ball
The rest of the weekend calls for a freer elegance. For dinner at Le Louis XV or Les Ambassadeurs, named by way of illustration, considered attire suits the tone of the house — at Les Ambassadeurs, evening wear is requested. For lunch facing the harbour, elegant daywear; for a stroll on the Rock, comfortable shoes, as the streets there are cobbled and steep.
March on the Côte d'Azur means mild days and cool evenings: a jacket or a stole is worth bringing for every evening out.
| Moment | Attire | To plan |
|---|---|---|
| The ball | Dinner jacket; long evening gown | A stole or jacket for the journey; hair and make-up timed to the hour of departure |
| Gastronomic dinner | Considered attire, evening wear depending on the house | Each restaurant's customs |
| Lunch facing the harbour | Elegant daywear | Sunglasses, the spring light is bright |
| A stroll on the Rock | Comfortable daywear | Shoes suited to the cobbles |
The stylist and the fittings
A dedicated stylist prepares your attire before you arrive: a selection according to your taste and the year's theme, fittings in your suite, alterations, and on the night of the ball, hair and make-up timed to the hour of departure. Private boutique appointments in Monte-Carlo are requested in advance and depend on each house.
We never present styling as a way into the evening: it serves your weekend. If you have your place at the ball, we arrange what surrounds the attire — the suite for fittings, time to get ready, the car.
If you are not at the ball
On Saturday evening, Monaco does not stop at the doors of the Sporting. We compose your evening elsewhere: a great table, a private dinner in a villa, a last drink in a hotel bar. The attire is decided with you; a nod to the year's theme is possible, never required.
Our Bal de la Rose VIP page details what we compose, and our guide Where to Stay for the Bal de la Rose helps choose the address to set out from.
Frequently asked questions
"Black tie – evening dress", as published by the organiser: a dinner jacket with a black bow tie for men, a long evening gown for women.
It is not the rule: the theme inspires the décor and the show. A detail of attire may echo it — a colour, a piece of jewellery — but black tie and evening dress remain the basis.
It has not been announced as of 5 October 2026. We will update this guide as soon as the organiser reveals it.
No: black tie means a dinner jacket. For the evening, keep to it; a stylist can propose one, fitted before you arrive.
Yes: a dedicated stylist prepares your attire before you arrive, organises fittings and alterations in your suite, and times hair and make-up to the hour of departure. The service is quoted individually, according to the number of days.
Mild, bright days and cool evenings by the sea. A stole or a jacket is worth bringing for the evening journeys.
Take it further
Your attire for the ball, prepared
Tell us about your evenings in Monaco — the ball, the dinners, the weekend: a stylist prepares each look in advance, and we compose the rest of the stay, on a tailored quote and subject to availability.