Cannes Yachting Festival 2026 Guide: History, Travel, Tickets
Fast facts:
- Founded in 1977, the Cannes Yachting Festival is now Europe's leading in-water boat show and the world's number one show for large sailing boats.
- 2026 dates: 8–13 September, across two venues — Vieux Port (motor boats, since 2019) and Port Canto (sailing yachts and brokerage).
- The 2025/2026 scale: roughly 56,600 visitors, 680+ exhibitors and 710+ boats from 5 to 55 metres.
- Opening hours: 10am–7pm Tue–Thu and Sat, 10am–10pm Fri, 10am–6pm Sun; children under 10 enter free.
- Nearest airport is Nice Côte d'Azur, about 28 km away — roughly 30–45 minutes by road, ~35 minutes by train, or 7–10 minutes by helicopter transfer.
The Cannes Yachting Festival guide: history since 1977
The Cannes Yachting Festival was founded in 1977, making the 2026 edition its 49th — the first show of its kind to take a fixed place in the international yachting calendar each September, and today the reason Cannes empties its two harbours of ordinary traffic for a week every year. What began as a regional boat show has grown, over nearly five decades, into Europe's leading in-water boat show and the world's number one event for large sailing yachts, drawing manufacturers who use the week to stage genuine world premieres rather than simply display existing stock.
The show is organised by RX, a major international events company, on behalf of the Fédération des Industries Nautiques (FIN) — France's national federation of nautical industries and the event's owner. That ownership structure is part of why the festival has stayed an industry-first show even as it has become a major public draw: exhibitor interests, not just visitor footfall, still set the programme.
Growth since 1977 has been steady rather than sudden: the show added Port Canto as a second venue as the sailing-yacht and brokerage sectors outgrew Vieux Port alone, then rededicated Vieux Port itself to motor boats in 2019 once power yachts and power catamarans had grown large enough to need a dedicated site of their own. That 2019 split is the single most useful historical fact for a power catamaran buyer reading this Cannes Yachting Festival guide: it tells you which harbour to walk first.
The exhibitors and what's on display
Recent editions have run to roughly 680 exhibitors and 710 boats and yachts, ranging from 5 to 55 metres, with sailboats and motorboats, monohulls and multihulls, and new and brokerage vessels all represented across the two sites. As any Cannes Yachting Festival guide worth reading will tell you, vessels under 10 metres are shown on land; everything larger floats, berthed for the week exactly as it would sit in a marina, which is what lets a serious buyer walk a shortlist of boats in a single afternoon rather than touring separate dealer showrooms across the coast.
Power catamaran builders have become a fixture of the exhibitor list as the category has grown, and Revolution Power Catamarans exhibits the OceanWalker S60 on the water every year rather than showing renderings — see where to find it below. Journalists attend in similar numbers to exhibitors — around 680 in recent editions — which is part of why the week generates most of the year's major model launches in the multihull category.
The venues: Vieux Port and Port Canto
The festival runs across two harbours connected by free sea shuttles departing every 15 minutes, plus hourly pedestrian shortcuts along the Croisette for visitors who prefer to walk. Vieux Port, by the Suquet old town, has been dedicated since 2019 to motor boats, shipyards and equipment brands — this is where a power catamaran buyer will spend most of the week. Port Canto, further east along the Croisette, houses the sailing yacht area, the brokerage sector, water toys, and a dedicated Power Boat Marina for motor vessels up to 12–13 metres holding around 180 boats.
A point every Cannes Yachting Festival guide should make clearly: both venues are compact enough to cover on foot once you're inside, but plan a full day for each if you want to board rather than just view from the pontoon — boarding times on the most in-demand yachts get busy by midweek.
Weather and the best time to visit
No Cannes Yachting Festival guide is complete without a weather note: early September on the Côte d'Azur sits at the tail end of the Mediterranean summer: days are typically warm (often mid-to-high 20s Celsius), rainfall is usually low, and the sea remains warm enough for owners to swim off the boats they're viewing — part of why the show books this particular week rather than later in autumn. Afternoon breezes are common but rarely disruptive to the show itself, since both venues sit inside protected harbour water rather than open sea.
The one genuine planning risk is the Mediterranean's occasional early-autumn thunderstorm, which can arrive with little warning in this region even in an otherwise dry week — worth checking the short-range forecast the morning of, especially if you plan to be on an open flybridge for viewings.
A practical tip this Cannes Yachting Festival guide keeps repeating to first-timers: pack for both ends of the day: mornings and evenings on the water can feel noticeably cooler than the midday sun suggests, particularly on a flybridge with any breeze off the bay, so a light layer is worth having even on an otherwise warm September afternoon. Sun protection matters more than most visitors expect — a full day moving between pontoons in direct Riviera sun is longer exposure than most people are used to.
Getting there and where to stay
The travel section of this Cannes Yachting Festival guide starts with the airport. The nearest airport is Nice Côte d'Azur Airport, about 28 km from Cannes. By road, allow roughly 30–45 minutes outside peak traffic (September show week can push this higher — budget more on the Friday and Saturday). The train is a reliable alternative at around 35 minutes to Cannes station, and a private helicopter transfer — operators such as Blade run scheduled Nice–Cannes services — covers the same distance in around 7–10 minutes, which many exhibitors and buyers use to avoid show-week road traffic entirely.
The accommodation half of this Cannes Yachting Festival guide starts with timing: rooms book up early for festival week. La Croisette is the obvious base — closest to Port Canto and the beachfront hotels — while Le Suquet, the old town above Vieux Port, offers a shorter walk to the motor-boat venue and generally better value. The Cannes Tourism Office maintains current listings across hotels, residences and guest houses if you're booking directly rather than through a broker; either way, reserve as early as possible once dates are confirmed, since the same week draws the Cannes hospitality industry's busiest nights of the year outside the Film Festival.
Within Cannes itself, plan to walk or use the free inter-venue sea shuttle rather than drive between hotel and harbour — festival-week road traffic along the Croisette slows to a crawl by mid-morning, and parking near either venue is scarce and expensive for the duration. Several hotels along the Croisette run their own shuttle boats directly to Port Canto during the show; ask when booking, since it can save real time over a taxi.
Tickets and practical information
The practical-information section every Cannes Yachting Festival guide needs: 2026 opening hours are confirmed: 10am–7pm Tuesday 8th through Thursday 10th and Saturday 12th, 10am–10pm on Friday 11th, and 10am–6pm on the closing Sunday. Ticket pricing for 2026 had not been published at the time of writing — the official ticket office opens in spring 2026 — but entry for children up to 10 years old is free. Large bags are restricted: suitcases, travel bags and backpacks larger than roughly 40×30cm are not permitted inside either venue, and animals are not allowed on site.
Check the official Cannes Yachting Festival practical information page closer to the date for final pricing and any programme changes — treat any third-party price quoted before the official spring release as provisional.
| Detail | 2026 figure |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1977 (49th edition in 2026) |
| Dates | 8–13 September 2026 |
| Venues | Vieux Port (motor boats) & Port Canto (sailing, brokerage) |
| Visitors / exhibitors / boats | ~56,600 / 680+ / 710+ (5–55 m) |
| Opening hours | 10am–7pm (Tue–Thu, Sat) · 10am–10pm (Fri) · 10am–6pm (Sun) |
| Children's entry | Free under 10 |
| Nearest airport | Nice Côte d'Azur, ~28 km |
| Airport transfer | ~30–45 min road · ~35 min train · ~7–10 min helicopter |
The Cannes Yachting Festival guide to seeing the OceanWalker S60
The buyer's section of this Cannes Yachting Festival guide: Revolution Power Catamarans exhibits the solar-assisted OceanWalker S60 on the water at Vieux Port every year rather than showing it only in brochure form — the same €3.2M, all-options-included demonstrator described on our OceanWalker S60 page. If you're using festival week to shortlist a power catamaran, walking the S60 alongside its Vieux Port neighbours in a single afternoon is the fastest way to compare real boats rather than spec sheets — see our what is a power catamaran guide first if you're still new to the category, or our power catamaran vs sailing catamaran comparison if you're weighing the two.
Cannes Yachting Festival guide FAQ
The questions this Cannes Yachting Festival guide gets asked most often, answered directly:
When is the Cannes Yachting Festival 2026?
The 2026 edition runs 8–13 September across two venues, Vieux Port and Port Canto. Opening hours vary by day, from 10am–6pm on the closing Sunday up to 10am–10pm on the Friday.
How do I get from the airport to the Cannes Yachting Festival?
Fly into Nice Côte d'Azur, about 28 km away. By road allow 30–45 minutes (more during show week traffic), by train around 35 minutes, or by helicopter transfer around 7–10 minutes.
How much do tickets to the Cannes Yachting Festival cost?
2026 pricing had not been released at the time of writing — the official ticket office opens in spring 2026. Children up to 10 years old always enter free; check the official practical information page for confirmed prices closer to the date.
Where should I stay for the Cannes Yachting Festival?
La Croisette puts you closest to Port Canto and the beachfront hotels; Le Suquet, above Vieux Port, is typically better value and closer to the motor-boat venue. Book early — festival week is one of Cannes's busiest for hotel demand.
Can I see a power catamaran at the show?
Yes — Revolution Power Catamarans exhibits the OceanWalker S60 on the water at Vieux Port every year. Book a private viewing in advance to guarantee time aboard during the busiest days.
Is Vieux Port or Port Canto better for a power catamaran buyer?
Vieux Port — it has been dedicated to motor boats since 2019, so that's where power catamarans, including the OceanWalker S60, are berthed. Port Canto is worth a visit for the brokerage sector but is primarily the sailing-yacht venue.
Book your private viewing of the OceanWalker S60
See the solar-assisted OceanWalker S60 on the water at Vieux Port — reserve your slot before festival week fills up.
Book a Private Viewing