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, almost 650 exceptional boats and yachts, from 5 to 45 metres, monohulls, multihull, sailing, motor, with rigid or semi-rigid hulls, new or previously-owned, are being presented by more than 600 exhibitors, including the biggest international shipyards. More than 140 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…
“The o cial opening day, on Tuesday morning at 10am, is the day my teams and I have been waiting impatiently for, and sometimes with an element of stress! Designing and building a festival of this size is no mean feat but we always do it enthusiastically, and aim to satisfy our clients, to serve the nautical industry, and give our visitors the best event possible. It is often said that the festival is a setting for the most beautiful jewels of the sea that have come from the four corners of the world, and that’s really the idea we have in mind when we place the boats and stands at the two ports. We want to give each boat, each brand, 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 possible. 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.” said Sylvie Ernoult, Director of the Cannes Yachting Festival.
This year, the festival is once again organised into sectors by type of boat: about 500 motorboats are being exhibited in the Vieux Port, divided up into six distinct sectors with a marina reserved for multihulls, a village that brings inflatable boats together and a zone dedicated to electric and hybrid boats up to 12 metres. As for Port Canto, it is accommodating the sailing world, which is even richer this year, with 120 10 to 30-metre boats, 31 of which are new. As far as sailing boats are concerned, the Innovation Village – launched in 2021 in partnership with Mer Angels and BNP Paribas Banque Privée – is promoting a dozen smart start-ups in the nautical sector. Port Canto also accommodates the “Brokerage & Charter” area featuring previously-owned boats, and a 73-metre mega yacht being presented exceptionally this year. On land, the Toys area brings together a wide choice of nautical toys.
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-high performance solutions to reduce the nautical industry’s environmental impact on the sea and marine ecosystems. The Green Route can be found in both ports.
