A festival of light and luxury
September in Cannes has its own rhythm. The Mediterranean sun glints off champagne flutes on the Croisette while music drifts from superyacht decks at anchor. In the Vieux Port, varnished passerelles lead to gleaming yachts whose polished stainless fittings mirror the blue skies above. Across at Port Canto, sails crackle in the breeze as visitors step aboard the latest multihulls. This is the Cannes Yachting Festival 2025 — a week where glamour and innovation meet against the unmistakable backdrop of the French Riviera.
Now in its 48th edition, the show has grown into Europe’s largest in-water boat festival. More than 650 exhibitors will line the docks from 9–14 September, with over 700 boats ranging from compact tenders to 40-metre-plus superyachts. The 2024 edition drew almost 55,000 visitors, and organisers expect even greater numbers this year.
The superyacht stage
The festival has always been a place where big names set the tone for luxury, and 2025 is no exception. Headlining the fleet is the Sunseeker 116 Yacht, a 35.2-metre colossus and the largest yacht British builder, Northrup & Johnson, has ever launched. Its range and volume put it firmly in the long-range cruiser class, yet its styling remains unmistakably Sunseeker.
Italian brands dominate the glamour stakes. Azimut arrives with its Grande 38 Grande Trideck, a true flagship, alongside the Magellano 30, a 135-kg explorer designed for long-distance voyaging. Sanlorenzo brings a trio of distinctive yachts — the SL110A with its asymmetric layout, the SD132 semi-displacement cruiser, and the radical SX120, a crossover design that blurs the line between superyacht and open beach house. Pershing adds the GTX116, a high-performance sport yacht capable of topping 35 knots.
Each of these boats is more than just transport. They are floating statements of design philosophy, technological ambition, and above all, lifestyle. Walking the docks, visitors will see yachts that double as art pieces — sculptural silhouettes crafted for an audience that measures quality in both knots and caviar.
Innovation shaping the future
While the largest yachts catch the eye, Cannes is also where emerging ideas take centre stage. The show’s Innovation Route highlights more than 120 exhibitors who are rethinking what yachting can be.
Hybrid and electric propulsion is no longer a curiosity but an expectation. Builders like e-Motion Hybrid and ePropulsion display propulsion systems aimed at reducing emissions while maintaining range. Stabilisation experts Seakeeper and AI-driven safety platform Sea.ai showcase technology designed to make boating smoother and safer.
Among boats themselves, dayboats and chase boats continue to gain traction. Salt Yachts, an Australian newcomer, makes its brand debut with the A44 — a luxury dayboat designed by a superyacht captain to perform offshore while maintaining Riviera-level refinement. The boat is built to Australia’s stringent Commercial Vessel Standards, a rare move in this category, and its combination of performance and polish has already sparked pre-launch demand.
On the sailing side, multihulls are front and centre. Seawind Catamarans from Sydney brings its new 1170 and 1370 models, showcasing designs that prioritise ergonomics, safety, and spirited sailing over pure production-line output. For those looking further afield, French yards like Lagoon, Outremer, and Nautitech use Cannes as their catwalk, unveiling the latest evolutions of performance cruising.
Kiwi and Aussie highlights
For New Zealand and Australian readers, Cannes is more than a distant parade of European glamour — it’s also a stage where familiar brands stand tall.
Riviera Australia is set to present models including the 395 SUV, 4300 Sports Express, and 46 Sports Motor Yacht. Riviera’s presence at Cannes reflects the global appetite for rugged, versatile boats built with Southern Hemisphere practicality but dressed with international polish.
European premiere for Riviera at the Cannes Yachting Festival in France
Propspeed, the Kiwi company that pioneered foul-release coatings in 1999, showcases its expanded range, including Foulfree for transducers and Lightspeed for underwater lighting. Propspeed products are now a default choice for many superyacht captains seeking to preserve performance and efficiency.
Propspeed Marks 25 Years of Protecting Underwater Assets with Foul-Release Coatings
Ronstan, another Australasian powerhouse, continues to supply deck hardware to some of the world’s fastest and largest sailboats. Its gear will be seen not just in the exhibitor halls but aboard many of the yachts on show.
Together, these brands embody the strength of Southern Hemisphere innovation in a European-dominated arena — proof that Kiwi and Aussie ideas travel well.
Beyond the docks
The glamour of Cannes is not confined to the waterline. The Palais des Festivals, best known for its red-carpet film premieres, becomes the centre for high-end yachting lifestyle brands. Everything from bespoke interiors and tenders to art, fashion, and marine tech is displayed here. It’s where boat ownership extends beyond hardware and into lifestyle identity.
The venues themselves are part of the appeal. The Vieux Port, one of the oldest on the Côte d’Azur, oozes Provençal character and tradition, while Port Canto has evolved into the show’s sailing hub, with a dedicated marina for sub-13-metre motorboats. Together they stretch the length of the Croisette, ensuring visitors experience both heritage and modernity in one sweep of shoreline.
A wider reflection
Cannes Yachting Festival 2025 is more than a marketplace for the world’s most expensive boats. It is a barometer for the industry — a place where design, innovation, and consumer taste converge. The balance between sheer indulgence and sustainability is sharper than ever. Yards know that while glamour sells, innovation sustains, and this year’s mix of hybrid systems, efficient hulls, and versatile designs reflects that shift.
For Kiwis, the festival underscores just how global boating has become. From Propspeed coatings on superyacht shafts to Riviera’s motor yachts at anchor, the Southern Hemisphere is represented alongside Europe’s giants. The glamour may belong to the Riviera, but the ideas and technologies on display have a reach that extends all the way back to New Zealand marinas.
The Cannes Yachting Festival 2025 will once again turn the city into the world capital of yachting for six days. Visitors will see yachts that challenge design limits, boats that embrace new propulsion systems, and brands from Australasia proving they belong on the international stage.
It is an event of champagne and chrome, but also of ideas — where the world’s most ambitious builders meet the demands of tomorrow’s owners. For those who love the sea, whether from Auckland, Sydney, or Antibes, Cannes is not just a spectacle but a reminder of the possibilities of boating itself.
