Unmissable cultural events in Monaco this autumn
Find out which exhibitions are still open and what events are planned at the Grimaldi Forum for September © Grimaldi Forum
The start of the school year in Monaco promises to be particularly busy! With concerts, exhibitions and a literary fair, check out our selection of must-see events in September.
1. Thursday Live Sessions – Pat Kalla & Le Super Mojo
Pat Kalla and his Super Mojo kick off the new season at the Grimaldi Forum with their electro-afro-groove. Their set includes highlife, rumba, biguine, funk and afrobeat. Their new album Belle Terre blends Creole, West Indian and African influences. The group has a reputation for getting even the most timid up on their feet!
Thursday 4 September 2025 – 6.30 pm Free admission. Bookings: +377 99 99 30 00 Aperomix from 6.30 pm, concert at 8.30 pm
2. Monaco International Book Fair
The Grimaldi Forum is hosting the 14th edition of this literary fair. 150 authors of 12 nationalities will be present. On the programme: meetings with authors, conferences and literary cafés. Debates and round tables will be held throughout the day. An unmissable event for all bookworms! The fair will take place on Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 September 2025 at the Grimaldi Forum.
Further information: salondulivredemonaco.com
3. Les Années folles (The Roaring Twenties) of Coco Chanel
CC needs no introduction! The exhibition at the Villa Paloma explores Chanel’s creations in the 1920s. Over 200 items are on display, including clothing, accessories and works by artists of the period. Discover how Chanel revolutionised women’s fashion. The exhibition also shows her ties with Picasso, Van Dongen and Cocteau. Three themes: seaside leisure, the Russian Ballets and the Riviera style .
From 19 June to 5 October 2025 at the Villa Paloma. Price: 6 euros / free for under-26s. Further information on +377 98.98.91.26.
4. The Cactus exhibition
An original exhibition on cacti in art since 1900. It brings together photos, paintings and contemporary creations in a project directed by Marc Jeanson, botanist, and Laurent Le Bon, curator. The collaboration with the Yves Saint Laurent Museum in Marrakech explores how these geometrically shaped plants have inspired artists. The period between the wars marked a turning point, with cacti becoming part of bourgeois interiors and fascinating designers. You will see photos by Brassaï taken at the Jardin exotique in the 1930s as well as works by David Hockney and Wolfgang Tillmans, and paintings by Domenico Gnoli. The exhibition also illustrates how the decorative arts appropriated the plants, from Louis Majorelle’s furniture to contemporary design objects. As well as the aesthetic aspect, the exhibition also looks at the contemporary symbolism of these plants. Signs of increasing aridity, they now represent major ecological challenges. The gardens of Villa Sauber round off the visit with a collection of living cacti, created especially for the event in partnership with the Jardin Exotique.
From 6 July 2025 to 11 January 2026 at the Villa Sauber, 17 avenue Princesse Grace. Price: 6 euros / free for under-26s. Further information on +377 98.98.91.26.
5. The Visions exhibition by Olivia Cognet
Nice-based artist Olivia Cognet is displaying her ceramics at Mareterra. Bas-reliefs, totems, sculptural lighting, large-scale tables: her pieces interact with Renzo Piano’s suspended architecture. The exhibition is the second in a series in the south of France, and it explores the tension between grounding and elevation. Her ceramics use a sculptural language that borrows from the decorative arts, architecture and sculpture. Trained at the Villa Arson in Nice, she is inspired by the great masters of the Vallauris school, such as Picasso and Roger Capron. She works the local sandstone in three natural shades, first by drawing and then freehand in her studio.
Exhibition accessible until 23 November 2025 – Mareterra, 8 Quai du Petit Portier, Monaco.
Coming up in October: Hoshi in concert
The Grimaldi Forum will also play host to Hoshi and her UNPLUGGED tour on Saturday 4 October 2025 at 8pm. An intimate acoustic concert with the French singer. She’ll be performing a selection of her best-known songs as well as more personal ones. Tickets are priced from €39.