Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo, from Diaghilev to Maillot in the same theatre

Monaco is known for cars and casinos, and hardly anyone travels there for dance. That’s a mistake, because the Principality has one of Europe’s most interesting ballet companies and a theatre with more history than it lets on. If you love ballet, or you’re after an excuse to see the inside of the Monte-Carlo Opera, here’s the 2026-2027 season and how I’d approach it.

From Diaghilev to today’s company

Dance in Monaco is bound up with the Ballets Russes. In the early 20th century Serge Diaghilev made Monte-Carlo one of his company’s bases, and through it passed Stravinsky, Prokofiev, Nijinsky, Picasso, Matisse and Braque. It was one of those moments when a small corner of Europe changed the language of ballet. Standing in the Salle Garnier today, knowing that generation of dancers and painters worked in and around it, is part of what you pay for.

The current company was founded in 1985, driven by Princess Caroline of Hanover. In 1993 Jean-Christophe Maillot became its director, giving it an identity of its own and taking it to the world’s great stages. Today it counts nearly 180 ballets created over 40 seasons, the legacy of a Principality that has taken dance seriously for more than a century.

One source of confusion worth clearing up for British readers. Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, which British searches often mix up with it, is a completely different company. What follows is Monaco’s own.

The 2026-2027 season in Monaco

The season opens with an anniversary. ‘Romeo and Juliet’, Maillot’s signature ballet, premiered in Monaco in 1996 and marks 30 years by returning to the Salle Garnier, where it was born, from 29 October to 1 November 2026. For me it’s the most complete date of the year, a landmark work in a historic theatre.

Christmas brings two dates at the Grimaldi Forum. From 19 to 21 December, Kor’sia’s ‘Bronia’ shares a bill with Maillot’s ‘Altro Canto’, and from 28 December to 2 January ‘Ma Bayadère’ fills the Salle des Princes, the company’s Christmas offering. Spring brings the Monaco Dance Forum from 22 to 26 April 2027, five events ranging from Aakash Odedra’s kathak to Israel Galván’s flamenco, followed from 27 April to 2 May by a Bartók evening pairing Maillot’s ‘The Miraculous Mandarin’ with Alexei Ratmansky’s ‘The Wooden Prince’, with the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic in the pit.

Summer belongs to the Salle Garnier. On 18 and 19 June, the Princess Grace Academy gala; from 24 to 27 June, ‘The Taming of the Shrew’; from 8 to 11 July, Paul Lightfoot’s ‘See You’ with Balanchine’s ‘Violin Concerto’; and from 22 to 25 July, ‘Cinderella’, created here in 1999. The full calendar is in the table.

Salle Garnier or Grimaldi Forum

The two venues offer very different evenings. The Salle Garnier is the Monte-Carlo Opera’s auditorium, designed by Charles Garnier and joined to the Casino. There are no daytime visits, so a performance is the only way in, and a ballet is, to my mind, the best excuse. Its history is in the Monte-Carlo Opera.

The Grimaldi Forum is Larvotto’s modern conference and performance centre by the sea, home to the large Salle des Princes. It hosts the bigger productions, and I introduce it in the Grimaldi Forum.

Tickets, and how I’d plan it

Tickets are sold on the company’s website and prices vary by performance and venue. I haven’t found a single official price list for the whole season, so I’d look up each production separately and book the Garnier dates early, as they’re the most special to me.

My ideal plan would be a weekend at the end of October. Arrive on Friday, see ‘Romeo and Juliet’ that evening at the Garnier and spend Saturday between the Rock and the Casino Gardens in the mild Riviera autumn. On a summer trip, ‘Cinderella’ at the end of July rounds off a beach day at Larvotto beautifully.

The company also takes part in other festivals, such as the Printemps des Arts, which in 2026 closed from 16 to 19 April with ‘Miniatures’, a programme made with the company. The rest of the year’s listings are in Monaco’s events calendar, and the square the Opera stands on in Casino Square.