The Superyacht Design Festival returns to Kitzbühel from 1 to 3 February 2026, once again turning the Austrian Alps into a meeting place for the world’s most influential yacht designers, builders and thinkers. Held in a town better known for its ski slopes than shipyards, the festival blends the creative energy of the superyacht world with an alpine backdrop that encourages fresh thinking.
It is not a boat show. Instead, it is three days of ideas, conversations and inspiration. From owners and naval architects to interior stylists and materials specialists, the event attracts people who shape how yachts look, feel and function. New Zealand has a thriving Super Yacht industry, having sent a strong Super Yacht contingent to Metstrade. Current thinking and trends to be revealed in Kitzbühel often influences boatbuilding trends across the industry, filtering into everything from custom fit-outs to performance design.
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Big themes shaping the next generation of yachts
This year’s programme focuses on how yachts will evolve in an era defined by technology, sustainability and changing expectations of luxury. One headline session explores the shift towards safer, smarter and greener power systems, including advances in batteries, solid-state energy storage and integrated management systems. These developments point to broader changes in how yachts will operate over the next decade.
Another key theme is human-centred design, with speakers examining how neuroscience, wellbeing science and spatial psychology influence how owners experience their boats. These ideas challenge designers to create interiors that not only look refined but also support comfort, calm and connection on board.
The festival also revisits one of the enduring design tensions in the superyacht world: should a yacht be a sanctuary or a showpiece? This conversation resonates well beyond Europe, inviting owners and designers everywhere to consider how privacy, personality and aesthetics balance in modern yacht design.
Celebrating innovation, craft and emerging talent
Three major award platforms anchor the festival. The Design and Innovation Awards recognise the most forward-thinking achievements across naval architecture, exterior styling, interiors, sustainability and engineering. These awards act as a snapshot of where superyacht design is heading next.
The Young Designer of the Year Award brings global attention to outstanding designers under 28, many of whom will shape the next era of yacht creativity. For students and emerging professionals in New Zealand, it is a reminder that our region’s design talent can compete at the highest level.
Of interest is the Boat Artistry and Craft Awards, celebrating bespoke craftsmanship such as sculptural elements, fine joinery, handworked surfaces and custom furniture. New Zealand’s marine industry has long excelled in artisanal fit-out and precision craft, making this award series relevant. It validates the kind of hands-on excellence Kiwi boatbuilders are known for.
Insights that reach our shores
Despite being held on the far side of the world, the Superyacht Design Festival offers insights that reach New Zealand shores. Many of the ideas discussed in Kitzbühel will influence design decisions across the global marine sector, including the performance boats, custom launches and specialist refits produced in New Zealand.
For New Zealand builders, designers and fabricators, the festival highlights where luxury expectations are heading. For interior specialists, the focus on neuroscience and craft aligns with the growing demand for warm, tactile spaces that feel personal rather than formulaic. And for young Kiwi designers, the event offers a benchmark of international standards and a pathway to global recognition.
Setting the tone
The conversations in Kitzbühel set the tone for a future where craft, innovation and human-focused design sit at the centre of yacht building. Whether you follow the event from afar or look to its awards for inspiration, the festival’s influence will ripple through the marine world — including New Zealand’s own design-forward boating culture.
