The Cannes Yachting Festival displays an exceptionally broad range of vessels, from compact motorboats and sailing dinghies to superyachts stretching beyond 50 metres. The show covers every major category of recreational and luxury boats, making it one of the most comprehensive boat exhibitions in the world. The sections below answer the most common questions visitors have before attending.
What kinds of vessels are typically exhibited at the festival?
The Cannes Yachting Festival exhibits motorboats, sailing yachts, multihulls, rigid-hull inflatables, and superyachts across its two port venues. Both new and pre-owned vessels are shown, and the range spans leisure day boats, cruising yachts, sports cruisers, catamarans, and fully crewed superyachts. The show is genuinely cross-category, so visitors can compare very different types of boats in a single visit.
At the Vieux Port, the programme is entirely dedicated to motorboats. This includes sports cruisers, cabin cruisers, and larger motor yachts, alongside the equipment manufacturers and service companies that support them. Port Canto hosts the sailing area, a yacht brokerage sector, and a dedicated Power Boat Marina for motorboats up to around 12 to 13 metres, where roughly 180 boats with rigid or semi-rigid hulls are displayed both afloat and on land.
The variety is a deliberate part of the festival’s identity. Whether you are looking for a compact weekend boat, a long-range cruising yacht, or a custom-built superyacht, the show is structured to give you meaningful access to all of them. Premium boat builders from across Europe attend, including Grandezza, whose Finnish-built motor yachts represent the kind of quality craftsmanship the festival is known for attracting. Fellow Finnmaster Boats Oy brands Finnmaster and Husky are also present at the show, giving visitors a chance to explore the full range of boats built at the same Finnish shipyards.
How large are the yachts shown at Cannes?
Boats at the Cannes Yachting Festival range from 5 metres to 55 metres in length. The show typically features more than 700 boats and yachts across this full size spectrum, which means visitors can walk from a compact 5-metre RIB to a 55-metre superyacht within the same event. This size range is broader than almost any other European boat show.
Smaller boats under 10 metres are generally displayed on land, which makes them easy to board and inspect at close range. Larger vessels are moored in the water at both ports, allowing visitors to step aboard and experience the layout, headroom, saloon, and cabin spaces in their natural environment. For many buyers, the ability to walk through a 12-metre sports cruiser while it sits in the water gives a far more accurate impression of how the boat feels than any showroom visit could.
The upper end of the size range draws significant attention, with brokerage superyachts and new-build motor yachts representing the most ambitious end of the market. However, the mid-range segment, covering roughly 8 to 15 metres, tends to attract the highest volume of serious buyers and generates the most active conversations between visitors and manufacturers.
Are electric and hybrid boats featured at the show?
Yes, electric and hybrid boats are featured at the Cannes Yachting Festival, and their presence has grown steadily as the marine industry responds to demand for cleaner propulsion. The show reflects current industry trends, so as more manufacturers bring electric and hybrid models to market, they bring them to Cannes first. Visitors can expect to see electric day boats, hybrid cruisers, and in some cases fully electric tenders alongside conventional fuel-powered vessels.
The festival has become an important platform for manufacturers to demonstrate that sustainable propulsion is no longer limited to small, short-range boats. Larger hybrid motor yachts capable of genuine cruising ranges have appeared in recent years, showing that the technology is maturing. For visitors who are considering a future purchase, the show is a practical opportunity to compare electric, hybrid, and traditional engine options side by side and speak directly with the engineers and brand representatives behind each system.
Equipment suppliers and technology companies in the land village also present battery systems, charging infrastructure, and energy management solutions, which rounds out the picture for anyone researching the practical realities of electric boating.
What is the difference between the in-water display and the land village?
The in-water display consists of boats moored at the docks, where visitors can board and tour the vessels directly on the water. The land village is a separate area on shore where equipment manufacturers, accessory suppliers, service companies, and technology brands exhibit their products and services. The two areas serve different purposes: the water display is about the boats themselves, while the land village supports the wider boating ecosystem.
The in-water display
Boats shown in the water are accessible via pontoons at both the Vieux Port and Port Canto. This format allows visitors to experience the boat as it would actually be used, including assessing stability, interior space, natural light in the cabin, and the feel of the cockpit. For larger vessels, the in-water display is the only practical way to present the boat at all. Some exhibitors offer sea trials, giving visitors the rare opportunity to take the helm and assess the boat’s performance on the water.
The land village
The land village hosts equipment manufacturers, electronics brands, safety equipment suppliers, marine clothing companies, and service providers. This is where you find chart plotters, navigation systems, outboard engines, fenders, and the full range of accessories that complete a boat’s setup. For buyers who have already chosen a boat or are fitting out an existing vessel, the land village can be just as valuable as the in-water display. It is also where many technical seminars and brand presentations take place.
Which boat brands and manufacturers attend Cannes?
The Cannes Yachting Festival attracts around 680 exhibitors, including the majority of the most recognised boat brands in Europe and many leading global manufacturers. The show covers builders from across Italy, France, Germany, Scandinavia, the United Kingdom, and beyond, making it one of the most internationally representative boat exhibitions on the calendar.
Major Italian builders, French shipyards, and Northern European manufacturers all use the festival as a primary launch platform for new models. Scandinavian brands are well represented, reflecting the strong boating culture across Finland, Sweden, and Norway. Among the Finnish manufacturers present, Grandezza brings its range of premium motor yachts built in Kalajoki, showcasing the kind of Scandinavian design and rigorous Finnish craftsmanship that the brand is known for across more than 70 export markets. Finnmaster and Husky, also produced by Finnmaster Boats Oy, attend alongside Grandezza, offering visitors a comprehensive look at what Finnish boatbuilding delivers across different boat categories.
The brokerage sector at Port Canto adds a further dimension, with yacht brokers presenting pre-owned vessels from a wide range of makers. This means the brand diversity at Cannes extends well beyond the manufacturers who exhibit directly.
When is the best time to visit the Cannes Yachting Festival?
The Cannes Yachting Festival is held annually in early September, typically running for about six days. The best time to visit depends on your priorities. Weekdays, particularly Tuesday through Thursday, tend to be less crowded than the weekend days, which makes it easier to spend time aboard boats, speak at length with manufacturer representatives, and attend sea trials without long queues.
If you are attending as a serious buyer or a professional in the industry, arriving early in the week gives you the most productive access to brand teams who are fresh and fully available. Opening day carries the most energy and the highest concentration of press and industry professionals, which can be stimulating but also busy. By the middle of the week, the pace settles, and conversations tend to go deeper.
For enthusiasts visiting primarily to see the boats and soak up the atmosphere of the French Riviera, the weekend days offer a livelier environment with more fellow visitors and a stronger festival feel. In 2026, checking the official festival dates in advance is advisable, as the precise schedule is confirmed each year. Arriving in the morning when the ports open gives you the best light for viewing boats in the water and the most time before the afternoon crowds build.