The Cannes Yachting Festival has been held every September since 1977 in the sparkling Bay of Cannes. It is the first boat show in the sailing season and Europe’s biggest in-water event. It brings together those involved in leisure boating; presenting their new products for the first time. There are typically over 600 boats on show from over 500 exhibitors, across 10km of berths in the two ports of Cannes; port Canto and the Vieux-Port.
With every length from 5 to 48 meters, the show truly caters for everyone from the small yachtsmen to the buyers of luxury yachts. The tens of thousands of visitors each year are spoilt for choice: from new to second-hand, for sale or rental. There are numerous areas ashore offering a multitude of products, including fameux toys, the nautical toys so popular on large yachts.
The 47th edition of the Cannes Yachting Festival - 2024
The 4th edition will run from the 10-15 September 2024. There will be some significant changes to the layout of the show. A major renovation and modernisation of the Vieux Port, initiated by the city in early 2024, will affect the southern part of the Albert Edouard jetty, located on the north-western side of the harbour entrance, the careening area and the Max Laubeuf parking lot, located opposite and to the south-west of the harbour entrance. The work will not be fully complete until 2026, but will further enlarge the overall show area.
Review of the 2023 Edition of the Cannes Boat Show
As Sylvie Ernoult, Director of the Cannes Yachting Festival, summarised: "The 46th Cannes Yachting Festival has just closed its doors under the best auspices. This year we reached a record with 705 boats and 55,000 visitors from all over the world (more than 130 countries). From the first days of the show, we got a lot of positive feedback from our 610 exhibitors, who were very satisfied with sales generated and visitor quality. Many eco-friendly innovations were showcased in all areas of the show, and our visitors made good use of the "Green" route and appreciated it. The new, in-water area for small boats from 8 metres long also found its audience. We are proud and pleased with these results, which acknowledge our efforts to continually meet both our exhibitors and visitors' expectations as best we can".
This great little video (of the 2023 event) from the folks at Yachting Pleasure should give you an idea of what to expect:
How to Get there
By train: The best way to get to the event. The Cannes Train Station is served by both high-speed TGV services and local TER trains (on the Marseille–Ventimiglia railway). It is very central within Cannes and gives easy access to the shopping streets and markets. Timetables here.
By bus: Express Bus 81 (from Cote d'Azur Express Buses) goes direct from Nice Airport Terminal 2 to Cannes train station (and takes 50 minutes).
By car: If you really must (but I warn you will be busy!) leave the A8 Autoroute at “La Provençale” (exit 41) signed 'Cannes La Bocca' or exit 42 signed 'Mougins / Cannes (center)' and follow signs for the centre of town.
Resources
The official website of the Cannes Yachting Festival
The Cannes Office de Tourisme website
Accommodation
With stunning panoramic views, private pool, super-fast broadband and modern air-conditioning, Haute Vue is a large Holiday Villa with private pool in Montauroux; just 40 minutes drive from the festival site. Sleeping 10/12 in 5/6 bedrooms, it is the perfect central base for a holiday in the South of France; close to the beautiful perched villages of Provence and in easy reach of the beaches and sights of the sparkling Côte d'Azur.
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