Cannes Yachting Festival Cancelled at Late Notice

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The Cannes Yachting Festival, the most important annual showcase for new European boats, has been cancelled. Exhibitors were notified last Friday, 2½ weeks before the show was scheduled to start, before being officially announced on the show website on Sunday.

The show was scheduled for September 8-13 and expected to feature about 400 yachts, but was cancelled after last week’s meetings between show organisers and representatives of the Alpes-Maritimes prefecture, following a recent escalation of Covid-19 cases in Cannes and the rest of France.

Despite extensive efforts by organisers and an emergency exemption request, the show was not granted an exception to the rule announced on August 13 banning events with more than 5,000 people per day.

Show organiser Sylvie Ernoult said: “This decision is a huge disappointment for the entire nautical industry, with exhibitors in the lead, the City of Cannes and its professionals, the show’s service providers and the Reed team, who have worked together relentlessly for months to prepare the 2020 edition in the best-possible conditions taking into account the context.

“The implementation of the health protocol that we drew up, certified by APAVE and recognised as completely satisfactory by the prefecture’s services and the Regional Health Authority (ARS), would have made the 2020 Yachting Festival one of the safest events in terms of health in France. It is with great surprise and incomprehension that we take note of the prefect’s decision.”

The Monaco Yacht Show, scheduled to be held in late September, was cancelled in late June, but major international shows still on the calendar include the Genoa International Boat Show in Italy from October 1-6 and the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show in Florida, USA, from October 28- November 1. Tickets for the latter are available from September 7.

The Southampton International Boat Show in England, scheduled for September 11-20, was cancelled in July before being replaced by Boats 2020 presented by Southampton International Boat Show Limited. Expected to feature 80-90 boats, Boats 2020 will be held at Mayflower Park on the original dates from September 11-20, with all visitors having to register online for tickets.

Boat shows that have gone ahead in August include the dealership-supported British Motor Yacht Show, which required all visitors to pre-book appointments, and the recent Polboat Yachting Festival in Poland.