The 2026 Cannes Yachting Festival closed on 13 September having confirmed its status as the opening act of the yachting season. The numbers: 56,000 visitors, 660 exhibitors, 700 boats in the water and on the quays, and nearly 150 world premieres.
The premiere count is the figure that matters. Cannes has become the launchpad of choice for production builders unveiling new models, and the 2026 edition's tally underlines how firmly the September slot now anchors the industry calendar.
The clear winner of the week was the mid-size segment: the 40 to 70 foot premieres drew the densest crowds, reflecting where real buying activity concentrates. The superyacht end of the Vieux Port remains theatre; the buying happens further down the pontoons.
Photography: Wojciech Pędzich, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
