February / March 2016
WELCOME to another new year. Let's hope it brings health, wealth, peace ... and a little prosperity to us all. The government's preliminary budget of €62,536,800 is 2.4% more than the previous year with expenses 10.8% higher and was unanimously approved by the National Council, an optimistic forecast for the New Year. With a stable economy, full employment, and 300 sunny days a year, Monaco's sovereign Prince Albert II can be justly proud to hail the Principality as a "haven of peace". In step with Paris's defiance, Monaco celebrated the New Year as always, with music, fireworks, and dancing. Les Ballets de Monte Carlo delighted audiences with brilliant performances of Jean-Christophe Maillot's "Casse Noisette Compagnie" in Grimaldi Forum's Salle des Princes, on the 1000-metre stage where Russian ice stars will perform "Peter Pan on Ice" (Mar 2nd-6th). The company is off to New York at the end of February to dance Maillot's "Cendrillon" (Cinderella) as part of a promotion of Monaco's many cultural attractions, which are pretty spectacular this year.
The 40th International Circus Festival celebrated Prince Rainier's favourite circus artists, clowns, as 25 award winning clowns from previous years filled the Chapiteau with laughter in January as they competed for this year's prestigious Clown d'Or. One of the highlights of Opera Monte-Carlo's season this year is Vincenzo Bellini's great dramatic opera, "Norma", to be performed in the illustrious Salle Gamier with Cecilia Bartoli in the title role and the Zurich Opera orchestra (Feb l9th-25th). The Printemps des Arts brings 5 orchestras, 8 ensembles, 2 choirs and 15 soloists to Monte Carlo, with concerts along the coast before the festival begins in Monaco (Mar 9th-April 10th).
Flowers are everywhere, especially in the Salle des Étoiles ... for the very special Bal de la Rose on March 19th in aid of the Princess Grace Foundation. Presided over by the Prince and Princess of Monaco and Princess Caroline of Hanover, this glamorous charity event officially opens Monte Carlo's summer season. Easter is early this year (Easter Sunday falls on Daylight Savings Time, so clocks spring forward one hour on March 27th) and chocolate Easter bunnies and decorated eggs appear in the shops weeks beforehand to tempt the faint-hearted.
This year's very mild weather evokes memories of Monte Carlo in photographs taken a century ago, before air travel enabled rich tourists to fly around the world and when wealthy Europeans flocked to the Principality for the mild winter season. The mimosa trees were already in bloom at Christmas and there are more than enough oranges and lemons for the 140 tons needed to create the amazing 10-metre high citrus sculptures at the 83rd Menton Lemon Festival (above). The orchid festival in the Place de l'Europe provides a feast of colours and expert advice for orchid lovers (Feb 13th-Mar 2nd). The New Year finally brought snow to the ski slopes and season are in full swing, with skating on Port Hercule until February 28th, but the world's tennis stars are busy training in Florida or at the Monte-Carlo Country Club for the beginning of the clay court season. Local school spring holidays luckily coincide with the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters (Apr 9th-17th) and special discounted prices are given to schools and tennis clubs for groups of 10 or more. Hundreds of workers are hired for this event and work to erect the stands has already begun.
February is always a special month for lovers, the time for Valentine cards and flowers ... a boom time for florists ... but this is also a distinctive year. It is a Leap Year, when by tradition a woman is allowed to propose to a man of her choice. In the Western world, women are emancipated, educated, can vote and choose a career ... although equal pay in the work place is still not universal. Securing a kind and loving partner is not guaranteed, but it could be a possibility this year, even for a shy lady. So gentlemen, spruce yourself up, go out and about and prepare for the 29th day of February. It could be your lucky day.
