Cannes Yachting Festival 2027 – 700 yachts in two harbours

From 7 to 12 September 2027 the Vieux Port and Port Canto become Europe's great floating showroom: some 700 boats from 5 to 55 metres, sea trials and a boat shuttle along the Croisette. Here is how the festival works and how to visit.

Every September, as the beaches empty a little, Cannes fills its two harbours with boats that are for sale. The Cannes Yachting Festival is one of the great dates of the European yachting year: a show at which the leading shipyards present their new models, brokers show pre-owned superyachts, and visitors can step aboard – and, for serious buyers, head out to sea.

The last edition drew 56,600 visitors, 680 exhibitors and 720 journalists, according to the organisers. The 2027 festival opens on Tuesday 7 September and runs until Sunday 12 September.

Two harbours

The festival is split between the two ports at either end of the Croisette. The Vieux Port, at the foot of Le Suquet, is the home of power: motor yachts, the latest launches from the big yards, equipment and marine technology. The port itself covers 23 hectares, 15 of them water, with more than 700 berths and around 100 more for superyachts of up to 140 metres.

Port Canto, at the eastern end of the Croisette, is given over to sail and lifestyle: the Sailing Area, the Yacht Brokerage Area with its pre-owned superyachts, the Toys Area, and the Power Boat Marina for dayboats and motorboats of up to 13 metres. Inaugurated on 19 July 1965, with about 530 berths, it has been run by the town since 2002.

Free sea shuttles – RIBs and larger covered boats – run between the two harbours every 15 minutes from 10.00, and there is no better view of the Croisette than from the water. On the quays, pedestrian crossings known as traversantes open on the hour and the half-hour for fifteen minutes, as shortcuts between the exhibition areas.

What you will see

The boats run from 5 to 55 metres, and the point of the show is to compare them side by side and, for buyers, to book sea trials. Shipyards stage world premieres here, and the brokerage area at Port Canto gathers pre-owned superyachts. For the merely curious, it is the easiest way to see inside yachts that normally sit behind locked gates.

VIP programmes open clubs at both harbours, with concierge service, refreshments and views over the boats. Elsewhere there are restaurants with panoramic views, cafés and food trucks, and a new beachside solarium with sun loungers and parasols.

Planning a visit

Tickets are sold only online, through the festival's e-ticketing site – there are no ticket desks at the entrances – and they can be neither exchanged nor refunded. Professional e-tickets are valid on the weekdays, while the general public can come on any day, including the weekend; children up to the age of 10 enter free. Bags larger than A3 (about 40 × 30 cm) and animals are not allowed.

Cannes station is a short walk from the Vieux Port, and bus line 81 runs direct from Nice Côte d'Azur airport. Hotels fill quickly for the festival week, so book early; the organisers' accommodation partner, Bnetwork, offers negotiated rates. The show is organised by RX for its owner, the French Nautical Industries Federation (FIN).

For a weekend. For a lifetime.