Fireworks in Monaco: Summer Nights, 18 November and New Year's Eve

Monaco has three moments a year when public fireworks go up over Port Hercule: a pair of summer evenings organised by the Mairie, the eve of the National Day on 18 November, and midnight on New Year's Eve. All three are free and need no ticket. What Monaco no longer has is a summer-long festival: there are no nightly shows in July and August, and the country-against-country competition has been dropped.

From competition to two summer evenings

For decades the Mairie ran the Concours International de Feux d'Artifice Pyromélodiques, created in 1966 and renamed Monaco Art en Ciel in 2018: four evenings a summer, each fired by a pyrotechnics company representing a different country, with a jury prize. Since 2025, the Mairie has replaced the contest with two non-competitive "Soirées feux d'artifice" on the Quai Albert-Ier. In 2025 these took place on 26 July and 9 August.

Summer 2026

The displays are pyromelodic — choreographed to a soundtrack played over a sound system on the quay — and last roughly a quarter of an hour (the 2025 opening show ran about 16 minutes). In 2025 access to the sound-equipped viewing area on the Quai Albert-Ier was through seven controlled entrances. The Mairie says the rockets are fired beyond the protected marine areas so that debris does not fall into sensitive zones, and the area is cleaned after each show.

The quay itself is busy all summer: the Mairie's L'Été au Port Hercule (games, sports and food stalls, free) ran from 10 July to 9 August in 2026, so you can make an evening of it.

The 2027 dates are normally published by the Mairie in late spring.

18 November: the National Day fireworks

On the eve of the National Day, a pyromusical display is fired over Port Hercule. It is free and open to everyone; in 2025 it started at 20:10. In 2026 the 18th falls on a Wednesday, and the Foire Attractions funfair on the port stays open until 1:00 that night.

New Year's Eve

The Mairie's free New Year's Eve party takes place on the port, around the Christmas Village: DJ sets on two stages from 21:00 to 2:00 and fireworks at midnight. See our New Year's Eve guide for dinners and practical tips.

Where to watch

• Quai Albert-Ier — the official viewing area, closest to the barges, with the soundtrack. Arrive at least 45 minutes early on summer nights.
• Jardin Exotique — for both 2026 summer evenings the Mairie opened the Jardin Exotique for free from 19:30, using its new panoramic bar as a viewpoint high above the port. Check whether the arrangement is repeated.
• Monaco-Ville — the ramparts and Place du Palais look straight down on the harbour; the public lift from the Parking des Pêcheurs gets you up the Rock.
• Quai Antoine-Ier — the other side of the port, usually less crowded.
• Restaurant terraces and hotels overlooking the port — book weeks ahead; some hotels sell dinner packages for the summer fireworks nights.

Getting there

Driving and parking around the port are difficult on fireworks nights and some roads close. Come by train — Monaco-Monte-Carlo station is about ten minutes' walk from the Quai Albert-Ier — or by CAM bus; expect diversions on lines that serve the port. See Port Hercule for the layout of the quays.