What to do in Monaco in May 2025
© Communication Department / Michael Alesi
May gets off to a flying start in the Principality! It is of course GP month in Monaco, but the editorial team has selected a number of other activities you won’t want to miss out on.
After the E-Prix, from 3 to 4 May, the TAG Heuer 2025 Monaco Grand Prix Formula 1 is back from 22 to 25 May. As the engines roar and the tyres squeal in the streets of Monte Carlo, the atmosphere throughout the city will be electric. Race fans will be able to meet up in front of the big screens in the fan zones to follow their favourite drivers.
The Top Marques show in Monaco is pulling out all the stops for its 20th anniversary. All-new supercars, world launches and exclusive events will be on the menu during the five-day show from 7 to 11 May.
It needs no introduction: the “apéro des Frenchy” is back at La Condamine market on Sunday 11 May from 5pm to 10pm. The vibe is baguette and pétanque along with a deliciously regressive playlist to create a festive atmosphere. As Monaco is hosting the event , the dress code will be red and white!
Outdoors
For those who prefer the healing powers of nature, May is the perfect month to visit Monaco’s many sun-drenched flower gardens. Head to the Botanical Centre at the Exotic Garden, the Japanese Garden or the Princess Grace Rose Garden. Admission to some gardens is free or at a reduced price on Sundays.
A little culture
The Grimaldi Forum will host an evening of top-tier stand-up with a host of artists invited by Gad Elmaleh (Gabrielle Giraud, AZ, Hassan de Monaco, Nino Arial, Nash and master of ceremonies Bedou). Romain Frayssinet, a comedian who specialises in introspection, will then take over the venue on 9 May to inaugurate the third part of his show, ‘Ô Delà’.
The Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra will be performing a symphony concert at the Rainier III Auditorium on 11 May 2025, at 6 pm. Lio Kuokman will conduct the orchestra, with pianist Jorge Luis Prats playing works by Bernstein, Gershwin, Barber and Rachmaninoff. Young audiences are not forgotten, with two concerts: Peter and the Wolf by Prokofiev, and The Story of the Priest and his Workman Balda by Shostakovich, on 14 May from 3pm.
For children
Young car enthusiasts can also enjoy the excitement around the city. Access to the giant screens and activities (simulators, a photo booth, pit stop workshops) in the fan zones organised by the Automobile Club de Monaco, is free of charge. Admission to the Top Marques show is also free for under-12s.
The swimming pools will be open again! The diving boards and waterslide at the Rainier III stadium will be open to the public from 9am on Tuesday 6 May.
Unusual
On 10 and 11 May, the Yacht Club de Monaco will be hosting the 56th International Bouquet Competition, which is open to amateurs and professionals alike. This year’s theme is “flowers in motion”
Can’t choose between flowers and dogs? You don’t need to! Our canine friends will also be in the spotlight over the same two days under the Espace Fontvieille marquee, at the Monaco International Dog Show, organised by the Société Canine de Monaco under the presidency of Mélanie-Antoinette de Massy.
Sport
Football. Last match of the season at the Stade Louis II for AS Monaco against Lyon on 10 May to stay in the top four in Ligue 1.
The tradition continues on 21 May 2025 with the legendary ‘Match des Pilotes’, renamed this year the Racing Stars Football Cup. The Barbagiuans Monaco team, named after the non-profit founded by Prince Albert II and chaired by Louis Ducruet, will be up against a drivers’ team comprising F1, F2 and F3 champions and iconic figures from the world of motor sport.
Swimming. With the “Mare Nostrum”, Monte-Carlo’s international swimming meeting organised on Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 May at the Albert II Olympic swimming pool in the Stade Louis II.
Basketball. The Roca team face Bourg-en-Bresse on 11 May. The previous Leaders Cup meeting between the two clubs ended in a 101-88 victory for ASM.
Calling all sports and local history fans: to mark the 40th anniversary of the legendary Stade Louis-II, an exhibition has been on display since 28 April 2025 in the indoor walkway at the Stadium. This immersive retrospective looks back at the heyday of this iconic stadium, combining sporting memories, archive documents and rare testimonies.
Discovery of the month
Monaco’s Prince’s Palace has been open to the public once again, since 2 April 2025, offering visitors the chance to discover the sumptuous State Apartments and the recently restored Italian Renaissance frescoes, covering a total surface area of 600 m².
Practical
The Munegu Repair Café will be held on 10 May at La Condamine market. Set up in April 2022, this free workshop repairs any portable object and collects computers and mobile phones in aid of the charity Semeurs d’Espoir Monaco.
The Collège Charles III is open for enrolment until Friday 20 June 2025 inclusive. The closing date is the same for the Lycée Albert Ier and the Lycée Rainier III.
Something to try
Do you fancy stepping up to the microphone and singing your heart out? A Jam Session is planned on 7 May at 6.30 pm at La Condamine market.