Monaco’s National Day, also known as Prince’s Day, is one of the Principality’s most important annual holidays. It is dedicated to independence and was first celebrated under Prince Honore III on 16 May 1734. Another ruler of Monaco, Prince Charles III, chose 4 November, the day of his patron saint, to celebrate the day. Thus, the ruling princes personally appointed a new date for the celebration and only Prince Albert II, in memory of his father, decided to officially establish the National Day on 19 November, the date of the inauguration of Prince Rainier III.
More than 600 flags in Monaco
Traditionally, a few days before the celebration, the streets, public institutions, offices and residents of Monaco themselves decorate the city with red and white national symbols. This year, the municipal technical services have installed a total of 600 banners and more than 650 flags throughout the city. They will all be dismantled on 10 December.
Traditionally, on this day, Prince Albert II of Monaco and his family greet people from the balcony of the Palace. The Prince also holds a medal presentation ceremony and a military parade is held in the main square. A mass is held in the cathedral in the memory of Princess Grace.
National Day: what to expect in 2024
On 19 November, National Day will begin with a solemn Mass of thanksgiving and Te Deum at Monaco Cathedral at 9.30am. This will be followed by the presentation of insignia and medals at 11.00 am in the Court of Honour of the Princely Palace, followed by a military parade at 11.30 am.
In honour of the holidays, 12 horsemen from the Republican Guard will take part in an impressive parade on the Palace Square. This unique presence of the Guard on the Prince’s Day was last seen in Monaco in 1896, if historical records are to be believed. At that time, the Prince’s Palace hosted the President of the French Republic, Felix Faure.
How to celebrate Monaco’s National Day on 19 November?
A fair in the Port Hercule will continue to operate during the festivities.
Everyone will be able to celebrate the Prince’s Day at the Condamine market. As usual, it will be the place to continue the celebrations: the traditional giant fish will be cooked at 12.00, the day will continue with a musical programme from 7.00 pm to 10.30 pm.
And in the Grimaldi Forum, Giacomo Puccini’s opera La Bohème will be performed on 19 November. Since its premiere in Turin, the work has been performed in Buenos Aires, Rome, Moscow, London, Berlin and New York. Libretto by Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica, based on Henry Murger’s Scènes de la vie de bohème (1849).
