A summer highlight for Monaco, the lavish Red Cross Gala will be taking place at the Sporting Monte-Carlo on 18 July, with a few surprises in store.
Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene, the President and Vice President of the Monaco Red Cross will be attending this 77th edition, along with other special guests. Kate Forbes, President of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and Caroline Cross, President of the French Red Cross will also be attending this year’s gala. Ticket prices for the formal event are €1,900 and include dinner and a half-bottle of Grand Cru champagne.
Dinner, fireworks and prizes
For the first time, the Sporting Monte-Carlo will offer an immersive, 360° experience from the moment guests arrive in the lobby.
The gala will begin with a dinner created by three-Michelin-starred chef Marcel Ravin and prepared by Thierry Saez Manzanares, Chef of the Sporting Monte-Carlo. Dessert will be created by pastry chef Cedric Grolet.
This year’s raffle, featuring four prestigious prizes, will be hosted by actress and model Estelle Lefébure and radio and television presenter Marc Toesca. The traditional fireworks display, launched from the sea, will take place just just before the show.
Premiere of SOUL!
A brand-new show will premiere at the gala: SOUL! Where legends come back, produced by the Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer. The live performance retraces the journey of African-American music. The show will feature the sounds of rock ‘n’ roll pioneers Chuck Berry and Little Richard, the legendary voices of Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder, and contemporary R&B championed by Alicia Keys and Beyoncé.
“SOUL! blends heritage and innovation,” says a recent press release by the Société des Bains de Mer.
Johan Creten’s work to be donated to the Monaco Red Cross
Every year, a work of art is donated to the Monaco Red Cross during the Gala. This year, Belgian sculptor Johan Creten will be donating his work “Eloge de l’Espoir” (In Praise of Hope).
The hand-modelled ceramic wall sculpture is painted and enamelled with a deliberate, free-flowing style. It evokes the improvised emblems seen in war zones or disaster areas, where the urgency and power of the symbol take precedence over its formal perfection. Part of “Odore di Femmina”, one of Johan Creten’s most iconic series, the piece was notably exhibited at the Louvre Museum and the Centre Pompidou.
“This piece conveys a sense of vulnerability, resilience, and humanitarian strength deeply connected to the values upheld by the Red Cross,” says the SBM.
Afterparty at Jimmy’z
For guests who want to continue their evening after the gala, Jimmy’z Monte-Carlo will be specially decorated for the event, with a musical performance by the Live Jazz Band.
Founded by Prince Louis II on 3 March 1948, the Monaco Red Cross was recognised the same year by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The Monegasque Red Cross’s mission is to assist without discrimination, to save lives and prepare the population for disasters, and to conduct humanitarian awareness and prevention campaigns, both nationally and internationally.
The Monegasque Red Cross was presided over by Prince Rainier III from 1949 to 1958, and then by Princess Grace from 1958 to 1982. Since December 17, 1982, it has been chaired by Prince Albert II.
