Casino Square dazzled into winter this weekend as Monaco officially flung open the door to Christmas — and did so with characteristic grandeur. The Princely Family arrived at dusk on Saturday evening, where Their Serene Highnesses Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene, joined by their children Hereditary Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella, were welcomed by Stéphane Valeri, head of Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer, alongside Minister of State Christophe Mirmand and his wife.
At 18:20, with night wrapped around the Principality like velvet, the moment all had been waiting for arrived. A single touch from the young twins, and Casino Square erupted into glitter — a towering tree blinking into life with thousands of lights, followed by the unveiling of five enormous snow globes that now stand like sentinels of winter wonder in the heart of Monte-Carlo. Moments later, the façade of the legendary Casino itself became a canvas, washed in choreographed light and sound as Christmas melodies swirled through the square. The festive season — “La Magie de Noël Monte-Carlo” — had officially begun.
The Princely Family had the privilege of being first to admire the new installations: fairytale-like globes themed around a series of whimsical scenes — from a reindeer tea party to a celestial night sky — each featuring one of five miniature reindeer protagonists with names charming enough to melt even a seasoned cynic: Flocon, Rose, Hercule, Stella and, of course, Rudolph.
For those planning to soak up the atmosphere rather than just admire it from afar, there’s quite the line-up to choose from through to Tuesday, January 6. The Casino façade will host a recurring “Reindeer Show,” a projection and sound performance running every half hour on December weekends, and nightly during school holidays. Younger guests can dive head-first into Christmas at New Moods on Friday, December 21, where storytelling, dance and a festive children’s party take centre stage. Grown-ups aren’t forgotten either: the new Advent Calendar at Casino Café de Paris opens on Monday, December 1, offering loyalty programme members the chance to nab daily prizes — a sort of upscale, adult-approved chocolate calendar.
Add in holiday menus, seasonal treats and predictable but beloved pop-ups, and Monte-Carlo appears set on maintaining its annual status as somewhere rather inconvenient not to spend Christmas.
The lights are on. The snow globes are spinning. Monaco’s winter theatre is open for business.
