What Is There to Do in Monaco in Summer, Around the Red Cross Gala?
The gala is a single evening; July in Monaco is a whole season. Concerts at the Sporting, fireworks over the port, days at sea and summer tables.
Last updated 5 October 2026 · 4 min read
The Monaco Red Cross Gala sits at the heart of the Monaco summer. In 2026, the Monte-Carlo Summer Festival programmed concerts and dinner shows in the Salle des Étoiles at the Sporting from 3 July to 15 August; fireworks evenings lit up Port Hercule on 25 July and 1 August; Jimmy'z opens from Wednesday to Saturday in July and August. Add to these days on a yacht along the coast, the beach and pool at Monte-Carlo Beach, and the great tables of Monte-Carlo. We compose the stay around this calendar, on a tailored proposal.
July, the heart of the season
In Monaco, summer is lived outdoors: the terraces of the Place du Casino, Port Hercule and its boats, the sea a few minutes from every address. The Monaco Red Cross Gala is one of its high points, in mid-July; around it, the Principality lives through very lively weeks.
This is also what sets this stay apart from the great Monaco occasions of winter and spring: you come for an evening, you stay for the sea. Planning three to five nights lets you enjoy the season without rushing it.
The Salle des Étoiles in summer: the Summer Festival
Every summer, the Salle des Étoiles at the Sporting Monte-Carlo hosts the Monte-Carlo Summer Festival, programmed by the Société des Bains de Mer. In 2026, it ran from 3 July to 15 August, with concerts and dinner shows beneath the hall's opening roof.
The 2027 programme will be published by the organiser; we flag the evenings that fall during your stay, and book your table through the public box office when it is open, subject to availability.
Fireworks over Port Hercule
In summer, the town of Monaco offers fireworks evenings over Port Hercule as part of its summer programme: in 2026, on 25 July and 1 August. Free of charge, they draw large crowds to the quays.
To see them away from the crowds, a hotel terrace facing the port, a reserved table or a boat anchored in the right spot changes the experience. The gala, for its part, has its own fireworks, fired from the sea during the evening.
The sea: yacht, beach, pool
A day on a yacht, leaving from the port, follows the coast east or west — an anchorage for lunch, a swim, a return in the late afternoon. We choose the boat and crew according to your group, and the route according to the day's weather.
Ashore, Monte-Carlo Beach, in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, opens its private beach and Olympic-size pool facing the Mediterranean during the season. The spa of one of Monte-Carlo's grand hotels, or the Thermes Marins, offer the calm afternoon before the evening.
| Occasion | When (2026) | Where | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monaco Red Cross Gala | Saturday 18 July | Salle des Étoiles, Sporting Monte-Carlo | Places offered by the organiser; 2027 in July, date to be published |
| Monte-Carlo Summer Festival | 3 July to 15 August | Salle des Étoiles, Sporting Monte-Carlo | 2027 programme to be published |
| Fireworks | 25 July and 1 August | Port Hercule | Free, part of the town's summer programme |
| Jimmy'z Monte-Carlo | Wednesday to Saturday, July and August | Sporting Monte-Carlo | Tables according to the club's rules |
Summer tables and summer nights
The great tables of Monte-Carlo are much in demand in July: Le Louis XV – Alain Ducasse at the Hôtel de Paris, three stars in the MICHELIN Guide 2026, Les Ambassadeurs at the Hôtel Métropole, two stars, Pavyllon at the Hôtel Hermitage, one star, with its terrace over the sea — named by way of illustration. We request them early, according to each house's rules.
At night, Jimmy'z, at the Sporting since the 1970s, divides between a room and a garden facing the sea; in July and August, it opens from Wednesday to Saturday, late into the night. Entry and tables rest with the club: we request them for you, without promising anything.
Composing your stay
A summer stay around the gala comes down to a few choices: an address in Monte-Carlo or a villa on the coast, one or two days at sea, two or three tables, an evening at the Summer Festival if the calendar allows, and the night of the gala — with your place, booked with the organiser, or a dinner elsewhere that evening.
We compose the whole on a tailored proposal, with no place at the gala. Our guide Where to Stay for the Monaco Red Cross Gala compares the addresses, and our guide How to Get to the Monaco Red Cross Gala prepares your arrival.
Frequently asked questions
The Monte-Carlo Summer Festival concerts in the Salle des Étoiles, fireworks over Port Hercule, a day on a yacht along the coast, the beach at Monte-Carlo Beach, the great tables of Monte-Carlo and nights at Jimmy'z — and, in mid-July, the Monaco Red Cross Gala.
The 2027 programme has not yet been published. In 2026, the Monte-Carlo Summer Festival ran from 3 July to 15 August in the Salle des Étoiles; we flag the evenings during your stay as soon as it is announced.
Over Port Hercule, where they are fired. A hotel terrace facing the port, a reserved table or a boat at anchor let you see them away from the crowds on the quays.
Yes: a crewed yacht, leaving from the port, for the day or several days, subject to availability in July. We choose the boat according to your group and the route according to the weather, on a tailored proposal.
Yes: in 2026, the club opened from Wednesday to Saturday in July and August, from 11.30 pm to 5 am. Entry and tables rest with the club; we request a table for you, without promising anything.
Three to five nights to enjoy the season without rushing it: a day at sea, two or three tables, an evening at the Sporting, the gala or a dinner elsewhere that evening. We adjust to the 2027 date, as soon as it is published.
Take it further
Let us compose your summer in Monaco
Tell us the dates you have in mind and what you would like to experience — the sea, the tables, the evenings: we compose the stay around the gala, on a tailored proposal and subject to availability, with no place at the gala.