The Cannes Yachting Festival: where to see the boats, ticket or not

We photograph in this harbour every September, and the week the port stops belonging to the town is the one to plan around. For six days the bay of Cannes holds more new boats than anywhere else in the world. The Yachting Festival fills the Vieux Port and Port Canto with more than 710 boats and 680 exhibitors, from tenders to sailing yachts well over fifty metres, drew 56 600 visitors at its last edition, and turns the whole seafront into a working port again. Most people who come to Cannes that week are not buying a boat. They want to see the fleet, and the good news is that a large part of the show is visible without paying for anything. Here is what you can see from land, where to stand, and what the week actually feels like in town.

When is the Cannes Yachting Festival, and where does it happen?

The show runs for six days in early to mid September, in two locations at either end of La Croisette, and is organised by RX France for the Fédération des Industries Nautiques. The Vieux Port holds the motor yachts, the tenders and the majority of the exhibitors, plus the Superyacht Extension, packed around the quays and out onto floating pontoons built for the week. Port Canto, at the eastern end of the bay, holds the sailing fleet, the brokerage boats and, since the site was reorganised, a Power Boat Marina for smaller motor craft, so the old sail versus motor split between the two sites no longer holds cleanly. A free shuttle boat runs between the two across the bay, which is itself one of the better views of the week. Exact dates are published by the organiser each spring and move by a few days from year to year, so confirm before booking anything around them.

Layout is confirmed by the organiser a few weeks before the show and varies slightly each year. Verified August 2026.

Can you see the yachts without a ticket?

Yes, and most visitors do. The show itself is ticketed and aimed at buyers, brokers and crew, but the boats are moored in a public harbour surrounded by public pavement. Walking the Quai Saint-Pierre from the Pantiero to the jetty puts you within a few metres of the largest units in the show, with nothing between you and them but a low barrier. The restaurant terraces along that quay are open to anyone and give you the same view sitting down. If you want the fleet as a whole rather than one hull at a time, climb to Le Suquet, the old town hill: from the terrace by the church, the entire Vieux Port lies below you and the bay opens out behind it.

The one thing worth a ticket is the sea trial area. Buyers take boats out through the day, which means there is constant movement in and out of the harbour mouth from mid morning onwards. You can watch that from the end of the jetty for free, and it is the most alive the port looks all year.

The hour that photographs best

Late afternoon, without much competition. The light comes off the water rather than down onto it, the hulls stop being white blocks and pick up warmth, and the crews start rigging the decks for evening. Between about six and sunset the quay empties of trade visitors and fills with people simply looking at boats, which is a very different and much more photogenic crowd. Sunset in Cannes falls at about ten past eight on 1 September and a quarter to eight by the 15th, and the official figures are linked in the sources below.

What is the week like in town?

Busy, expensive and much more professional than the film festival. The Yachting Festival brings in shipyards, brokers, captains and crew rather than press and celebrity, so the tone is business rather than spectacle. Practically, that means three things. Hotels along the Croisette and in the centre are booked out and priced accordingly, often months in advance. Restaurants near the Vieux Port need reserving, because the whole industry eats within four streets of the harbour. And traffic on the seafront is slow all day, so the train and walking beat driving on every measure.

It also means the town looks its best. The bay is full, the light in September is the softest of the year on this coast, and the summer crowds have gone. If you are on the Riviera that week for any reason, Cannes is worth a day even if boats mean nothing to you.

What gets booked that week

Owners and guests on board, when a boat is being shown or delivered and the family wants the week documented. Brokers and shipyards, who need a specific hull on the water and their team on the stand, delivered fast enough to post while the show is still open. And the evenings on the quays, which are the best looking part of the week and the part nobody plans for.

The constraint is scheduling, not light. The port is calm before nine in the morning and after six in the evening, and those are the only two windows where a boat photographs without a crowd in it.

If your week involves a day out on the water rather than time on the quays, our Cannes yacht photography page covers how we work on board, and the guide to the best spots for a yacht party on the French Riviera covers where to drop anchor once you are out of the harbour.

Frequently asked questions

When is the Cannes Yachting Festival?

The Cannes Yachting Festival runs for six days in early to mid September, across two sites: the Vieux Port for motor yachts and most exhibitors, and Port Canto at the eastern end of the bay for sailing yachts and brokerage boats. Exact dates are published by the organiser each spring and shift by a few days from year to year, so check the official calendar before booking travel or hotels around the show.

Can you see the yachts in Cannes without buying a ticket?

Yes. The boats are moored in a public harbour surrounded by public pavement, so walking the Quai Saint-Pierre from the Pantiero out to the Jetée Albert Édouard puts you within a few metres of the largest units in the show with no ticket at all. The restaurant terraces along that quay give the same view sitting down, and the climb to Le Suquet, the old town hill, shows the entire fleet in one frame.

What is the best time of day to see the show?

Late afternoon. The light comes off the water rather than down onto it, the hulls take on warmth instead of reading as white blocks, and from around six in the evening the quay empties of trade visitors. Sea trials run in and out of the harbour mouth from mid morning, so if you want boats moving rather than moored, the end of the jetty in the middle of the day is the place to stand.

Is Cannes worth visiting during the Yachting Festival week?

Yes, with one warning. The bay is full, September light is the softest of the year on this coast and the summer crowds have gone, so the town looks its best. But hotels along the Croisette are booked out and priced accordingly months ahead, restaurants near the Vieux Port need reserving, and seafront traffic is slow all day. Come by train and plan to walk.

More reading: the best spots for a yacht party on the Riviera, why hire a private yacht photographer, and the best time of year for a photoshoot on the coast.