The heavens may have opened on Cannes, but the weather gods then smiled on this spectacular on-water show, with new records set for both participation and footfall.
The 42nd edition of this prestigious European yachting event featured a new, motor yacht friendly layout and plenty of debut models to enjoy. The layout for 2019, which was some three years in the planning, saw sailing yachts moved to Port Canto leaving a highly motor-focused show at the main Vieux Port.
The result seemed to have been a major success, with a substantial increase on 2018 visitor numbers.
A new vision for sailing enthusiasts
The initial feedback and comments, heard on the pontoons from both exhibitors andvisitors, are extremely positive. Our aim to create the biggest in-water exhibition in the world for new sailing boats has been achieved and the promise has been kept.
Director of the Yachting Festival
The substantial reorganisation of the ports meant a smoother journey for visitors, resulting in more traction with the amount of attendees at the six day event. Sea shuttles carried almost 16,000 people from Vieux Port to Port Canto, with another 15,000 being registered at the land entrance of Port Canto.
The new sailing zone has proved to be a valuable asset to the leading yachting event, thanks to 4,000sqm of quayside space primed for exhibiting manufacturers and brands, plus the increased levels of visibility for the 120 vessels.
An agreeable figure of around 30,000 visitors to the new dedicated zone, proves that the diversity of the Cannes Yachting Festival is as popular today as it ever has been.
Heightened Vieux Port experience
The shipyards’ demands for more in-water space to be able to exhibit more boats in even better conditions were met with over 400 linear metres of quayside dedicated to monohulls and over 400 metres dedicated to multihulls.
Director of the Yachting Festival
In addition to the inaugural appearance of the sailing zone, the motorboats over at Vieux Port significantly benefitted from the additional space.
The overall adapted layout allowed an extra 25 vessels to be displayed on the water, a 5% increase on the previous 2018 edition. Of the new capacity of 650 vessels being showcased, there were 213 new products with 127 making their global debut.
Shipyards took full advantage of the new found space dedicated to each participant, some presenting a hub style format alongside their in water craft.
In all assurances, it seems certain this new reformatted layout will be here to stay.
Palais des Festivals
Much like the rest of the 2019 edition, the tempting Palais des Festivals also witnessed an increase in footfall.
With the newly reimagined layout, visitors were naturally drawn to the additional offerings around both ends of La Croisette, the Luxury Gallery included. Covering 800sqm of stands, the Luxury Gallery returned for its fourth edition and continues to grow with 40 prestige brands at this year's display.
The Toys sector in Port Canto also deserves a mention as it too found new record numbers and showcased several electric motor models of jet skis, plus an extensive collection of longboards and jetboards.
