The Cannes Yachting Festival. Both ports, every viewing and dinner in the hills, planned as one.
Europe's first big show of the autumn takes over both of Cannes's harbours for six days in September. The distances are short, and we plan how you cover them: on foot, by water shuttle or tender, and by car for arrivals and dinner.
The festival
Cannes Yachting Festival at a glance
- 2026 edition8 to 13 September 2026Now finished. The next edition runs from 7 to 12 September 2027.
- 2027 edition7 to 12 September 2027The fiftieth edition. Opening hours are published; the boat shuttle and port closures follow nearer the time.
- WhereVieux Port and Port Canto, CannesMotor yachts and new launches in the Vieux Port, sailing yachts and pre-owned superyachts at Port Canto.
- Arrive viaCannes Mandelieu (CEQ) or Nice (NCE)Mandelieu is about 8 kilometres from the Croisette. Nice takes any aircraft.
Dates as published by the organisers. The two ports sit at opposite ends of the Croisette and the festival runs its own boat shuttle between them.
How the week works
A mile of Croisette, and everyone on it
The festival is split between the Vieux Port, at the western end of the Croisette beside the Palais des Festivals, and Port Canto at the eastern end. On a quiet day that is a fifteen minute walk. During the festival, with the port areas closed off, the boulevard full and every hotel on it hosting something, it is a different proposition. Most people do the short hops on foot or on the festival's own water shuttle and keep the car for arrivals, departures and dinner in the hills.
Cannes Mandelieu is minutes from the town and is the obvious airport, with two important limits: it is daylight only, with no night operation, and jets are capped at 35 tonnes, which rules out the larger cabins. In the high season, roughly mid May to mid September, slots and prior permission are required for arrival, departure and parking, and the festival falls inside that window. Larger aircraft go to Nice and come along the coast, about 35 to 60 minutes on a good day. We arrange the aircraft, the helicopter and the yachts. Cars on the Riviera are arranged through operators we know.
What clients usually book
The festival, as one plan
- A private flight into Mandelieu or Nice with a car waiting, timed to the first appointments of the day
- A car and chauffeur at disposal for the week, working around the closed port areas rather than through them
- A yacht as a base and a place to host, either on a berth or anchored off and reached by tender
- A day charter to take clients out of the crowd for an afternoon, along the Estérel or to the Lérins islands
- Transfers between Cannes, Antibes and Monaco for people showing at more than one port
- A combined September trip with the Monaco Yacht Show later in the month
Getting there
Ways to reach the Croisette
| Route | Typical time | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Private jet to Cannes Mandelieu, then car | About 15 to 25 minutes by road | Closest by far. Daylight only, 35 tonnes for jets, slots and PPR in season |
| Private jet to Nice, then car | About 35 to 60 minutes by road | Takes any business aircraft. Longer in the evening along the coast |
| Helicopter from Nice | Under ten minutes | Useful when the coast road is heavy, subject to the landing arrangements in force |
| From Antibes or Monaco by road | About 25 minutes and 50 to 80 minutes | Both worse during the festival week than the map suggests |
| From a yacht anchored off | Minutes by tender | Tender and crew drop-off points are controlled during the festival |
Editorial ranges, not promises. Port closures and shuttle arrangements are published by the organisers each year.
Around the festival
Related pages
Start planning
Tell us your week
Which days, how many of you, and whether you are exhibiting, visiting or hosting. We will plan the flights, the cars and, if you want one, the yacht, and tell you what needs deciding first.
Prefer to talk? +44 2030 048300 or WhatsApp, at any hour.
Questions people ask
About Cannes festival travel
When are the 2027 dates?
Tuesday 7 to Sunday 12 September 2027, the fiftieth edition, across the Vieux Port and Port Canto. The organisers have published the opening hours, so plan your arrival and yacht viewings around those days.
Can we land at Cannes itself?
If your aircraft is inside the 35 tonne jet limit and you are arriving in daylight, yes, with a slot and prior permission. Anything larger goes to Nice.
Can the car get to our stand?
Usually not to the stand itself. The port areas are closed to traffic during the festival. We set you down at an agreed point and hold the car nearby.
Who operates the yachts and aircraft?
We arrange every charter with operators we know and stay responsible for the whole itinerary.
We are doing Cannes and Monaco in the same month. Can you plan both?
Yes, and it is worth planning them together. The same aircraft, crew and drivers are in demand for both weeks.
Are you an official partner of the festival?
No. We are an independent company arranging travel to and from it.
We deal with problems before you know they exist