The Cannes Yachting Festival returns to the French Riviera from September 8–13, 2026, bringing the international yachting industry back to Cannes for six days of yacht premieres, new technology, sea trials and business on the water.
Spread between the Vieux Port and Port Canto, the 2026 edition will bring together more than 710 boats and yachts and 680 exhibitors, welcoming shipyards, designers, equipment manufacturers, brokers, owners and yachting enthusiasts from around the world.
More Than 700 Yachts in the Heart of Cannes
As one of the first major events of the autumn yachting calendar, Cannes has long been an important stage for new launches and world premieres. This year, visitors can discover more than 700 boats ranging from approximately 5 to 55 metres, alongside marine technology, equipment and services.
The Festival is divided between two of Cannes’ best-known harbours, each with its own focus.
- Vieux Port is the centre of the motor-yacht display, with new launches from leading international shipyards, power catamarans, RIBs, tenders, marine equipment and technology.
- Port Canto brings together the Sailing Area, Yacht Brokerage Area, Toys Area and Power Boat Marina, including sailing yachts, pre-owned superyachts, dayboats, smaller motor yachts and the latest water toys.
Selected yachts are also available for sea trials, giving prospective buyers and industry professionals an opportunity to experience new models beyond the dock.
Yachts to Watch at Cannes 2026
With around 150 world premieres expected across the show, Cannes 2026 offers much more than sheer numbers. Among the headline debuts is the Azimut Grande 44M, the largest yacht ever built by Azimut and the new flagship of its Grande series. At 43.9 metres, the four-deck yacht combines Alberto Mancini’s exterior design with new efficiency technologies and an entire deck dedicated to the owner.
Explorer yachts are another major theme this year. The 41.5-metre Amer 42 Explorer Even Further arrives with Ice Class capability and an impressive long-range cruising focus, while the new Numarine 40MXP combines a steel explorer hull and transoceanic range with the outdoor lifestyle of a Mediterranean yacht. For visitors looking for speed, the 38.8-metre ISA Viper 130 Fast Naan offers a very different proposition, with a carbon-composite construction and a top speed of around 35 knots.
Cannes is also an important marketplace for pre-owned superyachts. Among the standout yachts in the Port Canto brokerage area is the 55-metre Heesen After You, offered for sale at €32.5 million, alongside the sleek 49.9-metre Rossinavi Flying Dagger, capable of approximately 27 knots and listed at €23.5 million.
And that is only a small part of this year’s fleet. New models from Sirena, Sunreef, Nautor Swan, YYachts, Grand Soleil and many others make the 2026 edition particularly strong for world premieres. For a closer look at the most exciting launches, largest superyachts and standout brokerage yachts, read our guide to the yachts to watch at Cannes Yachting Festival 2026.
Innovation Route: A Look at the Future of Yachting
D-Marin Biohuts® – Marine Biodiversity Restoration Initiative
Technology continues to play an increasingly visible role at Cannes. The Festival’s Innovation Route highlights products and vessels introducing new approaches to navigation, onboard systems and sustainability.
The program reflects a wider shift across the yacht industry, where performance and luxury are increasingly being developed alongside efficiency, alternative propulsion, smarter onboard systems and more sustainable materials.
Beyond new yacht launches, technology and sustainability are taking a much bigger role at Cannes in 2026. The Festival’s Innovation Route creates a dedicated trail through the Vieux Port and Port Canto, allowing visitors to discover selected boats, equipment and technologies that could help shape the next generation of yachting.
This year’s selection reflects some of the biggest changes taking place across the marine industry, from electrification and alternative energy to foiling technology, smarter onboard systems and solutions designed to reduce boating’s environmental footprint.
Key Innovation Route Focus Areas
VEEM Extreme propulsion system, TBS Marine
- Electrification & Energy: Alternative propulsion and onboard energy management are major themes, with projects including the electric-solar WHISPER 52 catamaran, recyclable battery solutions from WEENAV and the JOOOL hydrogeneration platform.
- Next-Generation Mobility: Cannes will also showcase new approaches to how boats move through the water. Among them is the SKAW A, which brings foiling technology to a family-oriented yacht concept, alongside smart marine technologies such as Hydroglide designed to improve performance and efficiency.
- Eco-Efficiency & Safety: Not every innovation requires an entirely new yacht. The Route includes equipment aimed at reducing fuel consumption and emissions, as well as smarter navigation systems, onboard water treatment and purification technologies designed to make cruising safer and more self-sufficient.
- Biodiversity: Sustainability extends beyond what happens aboard the yacht. Projects such as D-Marin Biohuts® explore how marina infrastructure itself can contribute to marine biodiversity by creating artificial habitats for juvenile fish and other marine life.
Together, these projects illustrate a broader shift in yacht design. Performance and luxury remain central to the industry, but efficiency, energy independence, recyclability and environmental impact are increasingly becoming part of the conversation from the earliest stages of design.
Innovation Route Awards 2026
Excess 11, Excess Catamarans
The most promising projects will also compete in the second edition of the Innovation Route Awards. An international jury of marine-industry professionals, sustainability specialists and journalists will select winners across four categories:
- Best Equipment Improving Navigation
- Best Sustainable Product
- Best Innovative Vessel
- Best CSR Initiative
A Special Jury Prize may also be awarded to a particularly outstanding project. The winners will be revealed on the Festival’s opening day, Tuesday, September 8, during the Exhibitors Cocktail Reception.
From Cannes to Dubai: Where the Yachting Market Goes Next
Cannes may open the European autumn season, but the global yacht market increasingly extends far beyond the Mediterranean. Among the international industry players heading to Cannes this week is the team behind the Dubai International Boat Show (DIBS), which sees the Riviera gathering as an important meeting point with shipyards, brands and buyers before attention shifts toward the Gulf.
The connection is significant. Cannes brings together the established European yachting ecosystem, while Dubai has developed into one of the industry’s most important gateways to the Middle East and its growing community of yacht owners, investors and luxury consumers.
With year-round boating conditions, expanding marina infrastructure and a rapidly developing luxury market, Dubai offers international yacht builders and marine brands a very different opportunity from the traditional Mediterranean season.
“DIBS is not plan B. It is the next chapter for brands ready to own the Gulf and beyond.”
Dubai International Boat Show
That message captures an important development in today’s yacht market: major international shows are no longer isolated events. Cannes, Monaco, Fort Lauderdale and Dubai increasingly form part of a global calendar in which builders and buyers move between established yachting centres and emerging markets.
For brands exhibiting in Cannes this week, Dubai represents an opportunity to continue those conversations in a region where the appetite for superyachts, marine technology and waterfront luxury continues to expand.
Cannes Yachting Festival 2026: Essential Information
- Dates: September 8–13, 2026
- Location: Vieux Port & Port Canto, Cannes, France
- Boats & yachts: 710+
- Exhibitors: 680+
- Expected/show audience: 56,600 visitors
Opening hours:
Tuesday–Thursday and Saturday, 10:00–19:00;
Friday, 10:00–22:00;
Sunday, 10:00–18:00.
For tickets, the exhibitor list, interactive map and visitor information, visit the official Cannes Yachting Festival website.
For information about the next Dubai International Boat Show and opportunities in the Gulf market, visit the official Dubai International Boat Show website.
