The Vieux Port in Cannes gets a makeover: renovation work begins

The 46th Cannes Yachting Festival has barely had time to finish, when the organizers of Europe’s most important boat show made an important announcement for the next edition of the event: the Vieux Port in Cannes will be the subject of a major renovation and modernization project to be completed by the end of 2026. The announcement was made by the management of RX France, organizer of the Cannes Yachting Festival, while the event was in full swing.

The upgrading of the Vieux Port was decided by the Municipality of Cannes and the port’s new manager, the Marina Vieux Port de Cannes company. Specifically, the project concerns the adaptation of certain areas on land and in water currently located within the Vieux Port and will lead to the creation of new spaces at Port Canto, the other major venue for the Cannes Yachting Festival.

The Municipality of Cannes last year entrusted the concession of the Vieux Port to the Marina Vieux Port de Cannes consortium (which brings together IGY Marinas and Fayat) for the next 30 years. With this time perspective, the consortium succeeded in launching a major renovation and modernisation project for the Vieux Port that will start at the beginning of 2024 and be completed at the end of 2026. The works will include the southern part of the Albert Edouard dock, located on the north-west side of the port entrance, the dry dock space and the Max Laubeuf car park, located opposite, south-west of the port entrance.

What the Cannes Yachting Festival will be like without the Vieux Port

The question inevitably arises: where will the boats of the Cannes Yachting Festival be exhibited during the three-year renovation period? The company has provided all the necessary reassurances: in order to replace the areas that will not be available at the Vieux Port during the works, two new large areas will be created at Port Canto: the ‘Mega Yachts Area‘, dedicated to large units up to 55 metres, and the ‘Small Boats Area’, for small units from 8 metres upwards.

With these two new sectors and the addition of a sleeper, the entire Port Canto will form a ring-shaped circuit and visitors will be able to move easily from one quay to the other. Four large sectors will thus be brought together at Port Canto: the Sailing Area and the Yacht Brokerage & Toys Area, which have already been present for several years, and the brand new ‘Mega Yachts Area’ and ‘Small Boats Area’.

• The ‘Mega Yachts Area’ will present units exhibited by major yacht builders. Located at the end of the Jetée du Phare (west side of the marina entrance), it will offer a 1,500 square metre on-shore structure in line with the one present so far at the Vieux Port, and an in-water space created for some fifteen units from 30 to 55 metres.

• The ‘Small Boats Area‘ will consist of 1,700 square metres of equipment space on land and more than 380 linear metres of quay, capable of accommodating more than 90 small units between 8 and 12 metres long. The in-water exhibition is expected to be exceptional, as for the first time such a large number of small boats will be gathered on the same quay as part of the Cannes Yachting Festival, thus offering even better visibility to the delight of visitors. In essence, the ‘Small Boats Area’ is a continuation of the new marina dedicated to small boats located this year in the heart of the Vieux Port, and will also bring together all the small boats on the Quai Max Laubeuf (most of which will be on display ashore).

During the three-year works period, the installations of the Cannes Yachting Festival at the Vieux Port will evolve according to the spaces available. For 2024, the Quai Max Laubeuf will continue to host a wide selection of 10-20 metre powerboats and around 20 motor catamarans in the water, while the Jetée will host large yachts from 22 metres upwards with no space ashore, and the Super Yachts Extension, which will continue to present the large yachts, will be made accessible to visitors thanks to a new passageway along the Jetée‘s work area and a slightly shifted sleeper adapted to the new configuration. The other areas of the Vieux Port will remain available and usable (or exploitable) under conditions similar to past years.

The maritime shuttle service between the two ports will also remain accessible to all exhibitors and visitors with different departure and arrival points on each side of the Croisette to make the passage from one port to the other extremely fluid and facilitate the visit to the show.

The organizers’ satisfaction

Filippo Rean, General Manager of RX France, commented on the announcement of the works at the Vieux Port: “The modernisation works at the Vieux Port require us to modify some of our facilities as well as the reception of our exhibitors and visitors during the show. By working constructively with the Municipality of Cannes and the MVPC consortium, our teams are already able to anticipate the main impacts on the various areas we occupy and to find alternatives under the best possible conditions for the 2024 and subsequent editions. To this end, we are thinking comprehensively, i.e. about both the Vieux Port and the Canto Port.”

“We warmly thank our exhibitors for their constructive listening and understanding in the face of the changes imposed by this period of work,” Mr. Rean continues. “Our exchanges with them over the last few days have been very helpful. We are aware that these configuration changes could impact the organization of the presence of some of them at the Yachting Festival, but we are confident in our collective ability to reinvent the show and accompany the yards through this period of change. The success of the Sailing Space that we moved to Port Canto in 2019 shows that it is possible to relocate entire sectors from one port to another without altering the quality of the show.”

Sylvie Ernoult, Director of the Cannes Yachting Festival, adds: “As always, the satisfaction of our exhibitors and visitors is our priority, which also means maintaining the size and diversity of the show. For several months we have been working hard to create the best possible installation for 2024, taking into account the various technical and safety constraints. The configuration of the 2024 show will therefore see the relocation of the now uninhabitable reception areas from the Vieux Port to Port Canto, and will make it possible to retain the same number of exhibitors and boats present this year. We are confident in the adjustments we have just presented to all our exhibitors. We understand that some may have questions and we are here to work with them and reassure them. We will take their comments into consideration and continue to fine-tune the show for next year. To sum up, the 2024 edition will extend even further at Port Canto, which will welcome two segments from the Vieux Port: the first, reserved for mega yachts with, on land, 1,500 square metres of stand and 500 square metres of space in front of the boats for shipyards and engine manufacturers and, in the water, some fifteen units from 30 to 50 metres; the second, dedicated to a hundred units from 8 metres upwards gathered on more than 380 linear metres of quay, will consist of 1,300 square metres of stand space ashore and 400 square metres of space in front of the boats”.