See you in Cannes: The Yachting Festival opens with more than 700 boats

Cannes Yachting Festival opens with over 700 boats © Cannes Yachting Festival

The Cannes Yachting Festival opens its gates today to welcome visitors from one end of the Croisette to the other.

For six days, at the heart of the French Riviera in the sparkling Bay of Cannes, than 700 5- to 50-metre boats and yachts, whether monohulls, multihulls, sailing, motor, with rigid or semi-rigid hulls, new or previously-owned, are being presented by more than 610 exhibitors, including the biggest international shipyards.

More than 120 boats that have just left their workshops for the first time are being launched on the water to make their world debut during the special occasion the Cannes Yachting Festival represents. Alongside them the areas on land accommodate equipment suppliers, engine manufacturers, and service companies...

"Today, Europe's biggest in-water boat show is opening its doors! My team and I are immensely proud to conceive and build a boat show of this scale. This year, we will have the pleasure of welcoming more than 700 boats - a record and a real technical challenge!

As always, our main objective is to satisfy our customers, serve the marine industry and put on the best event possible for our visitors. We are set on giving each boat, brand, piece of equipment, and innovation the best showcase. I hope that our visitors will find the boat or equipment of their dreams, and that the new products our teams are presenting will receive the best welcome.

I hope you all have a wonderful Festival, and that these six days in the Cannes sunshine will lead to wonderful discussions and business transactions," says Festival Director Sylvie Ernoult.

This year, the boat show is once again organised into sectors by type of boat: around 540 motorboats are on display in the Vieux Port, with about fifty small boats starting at 8 metres long showcased in their new area in-water for the first time in a brand-new marina dedicated to them. Port Canto, on the other hand, welcomes the sailing world with 115 boats ranging from 10 to 30 metres long, including around thirty new ones, as well as the Brokerage & Charter area, the Toys area dedicated to water toys and finally, the Start-up Village launched in 2021 in partnership with Mer Angels and BNP Paribas Banque Privée to promote smart start-ups in the marine sector.

And since conviviality and moments of sharing are essential at the show, several activities will take place at Port Canto, from Tuesday to Saturday, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m, including:

• demonstrations by "toys" exhibitors who will take turn to present their products while afloat,
• a "Happy hour" that will be proposed by our foodtruck partners "buy 1 drink you get 1 drink free",
• musical animations to enliven the atmosphere.

The Cannes Yachting Festival is also featuring its Green Route again to create awareness among visitors so inclined, with more than sixty exhibitors showcasing eco-efficient solutions to reduce the marine industry's environmental impact on the sea and marine ecosystems. The Green Route can be found in both ports.