The modernisation of the Vieux-Port de Cannes is due for completion in early 2027 and provides for 9 additional places for vessels up to 75 metres, according to the City of Cannes. The number of Cannes yacht berths at the Vieux-Port is therefore expected to rise, not fall, ahead of the major 2027 congress weeks. The real constraint is not the number of places: it is the concentration of demand into five to seven days, when several thousand companies look for a hospitality venue at the same time.
What exactly does the Vieux-Port de Cannes modernisation cover?
The programme represents an investment of 56.2 million euros excluding tax, entirely funded by the operator. The City of Cannes granted the thirty-year concession of the Vieux-Port to Marina du Vieux-Port de Cannes, whose shareholders are the Fayat group and IGY Marinas.
Works cover three areas: the fishermen’s village, the Laubeuf sector and the Albert-Édouard jetty. Four deliveries are announced for early 2027:
- Extension of the Albert-Édouard jetty: an enlarged, landscaped jetty, a 398 sqm crew house, and 9 additional places for vessels up to 75 metres.
- New semi-underground Laubeuf car park: 414 spaces against 312 today, topped by a 4,500 sqm panoramic garden.
- A 3,500 sqm services hub on quai Laubeuf, bringing together the maritime station, the harbour master’s office, the port authority, the municipal sea and coastline department and the SNSM sea rescue service.
- Relocation of the careening area to the southern section, extending the pedestrian promenade from quai Saint-Pierre to the end of quai Laubeuf.
How many Cannes yacht berths after the works?
The project consultation file sets out the structure’s characteristics. The former southern section of the jetty — a breakwater extended by a floating pontoon — is replaced by an entirely fixed structure that enlarges the water basin. It consists of a first 120-metre section facing south, then a second 125-metre section angled south-west and ending at the Sécant light.
On its inner face, the new jetty offers a berthing quay in two segments, of 135 and 120 metres, with a water depth able to accommodate mega yachts (maximum −6 m NGF). The entrance channel width remains unchanged at 70 metres. The structure is also raised by 0.50 m compared with the existing one, to +2.0 m NGF, as part of marine submersion risk prevention.
In operational terms: after the works, Cannes yacht berths offer more quay length qualified for large units than before the project, not less.
Could the works still reduce Cannes yacht berths in June 2027?
This is the one genuine area of uncertainty, and it deserves to be stated plainly. The deliveries announced by the City of Cannes are provisional: the official wording is “delivery expected early 2027”, and the operation “should be completed in early 2027”. A maritime construction schedule can slip.
Two practical consequences for an event held in June 2027. First, the capacity actually available on that date is confirmed by the harbour master’s office and the port authority, and nowhere else: that is the only authoritative information. Second, a project built on the assumption of expanded capacity should include a fallback, because the availability of a berth is only confirmed when the port authorities decide.
Why are Cannes yacht berths still hard to obtain during a congress?
Scarcity of Cannes yacht berths is real, but it does not come from the works. It comes from three factors that the project does not change.
A concentrated calendar. Each major Cannes event occupies a single week. For Cannes Lions®, announced for 21–25 June 2027 (dates to be confirmed with the organiser), demand for hospitality venues is concentrated into five working days.
Renewal by outgoing users. Companies that have used a yacht one year generally seek to repeat the operation. As a result, some positions are settled well before the event.
Eligibility conditions. For MIPIM® and Cannes Lions®, berthing within the framework of the event is reserved for official exhibitors. In addition, depending on the event, the intended use of the yacht and the applicable regulations, authorisations from the Port of Cannes and/or the organiser may be required.
How to plan around Cannes yacht berths for June 2027
The right sequence is simple. First check the company’s eligibility for the event, then set the format of the operation — number of guests, lunches, cocktails, meetings — and only then look for the matching vessel and berth. Doing it the other way round wastes time.
Timing matters as much as the file itself. Budget decisions at large companies for a June event are taken the previous autumn. A file put together in February for a June operation arrives after the decision.
One final point of method that avoids disappointment: the yacht extends the stand, it does not replace it. It is there to host clients and partners in a controlled setting, alongside the company’s official presence at the event.
Cannes yacht berths: what Cannes Yachts Booking does
Cannes Yachts Booking sources the vessel suited to the format of your operation among the yachts berthed in Cannes, handles the fit-out — decoration, furniture, flowers, sound and lighting, hostesses, security — and organises catering and entertainment on board. The agency assists you in preparing and submitting berthing-related applications, without being able to guarantee that authorisations will be granted, which remains the sovereign and exclusive decision of the competent authorities and organisers.
Frequently asked questions
Do the Vieux-Port works reduce the number of places for 2027?
According to the City of Cannes, the Albert-Édouard jetty extension creates 9 additional Cannes yacht berths for vessels up to 75 metres, with delivery expected in early 2027. The programme therefore increases announced capacity. As the schedule remains provisional, actual availability on a given date is confirmed with the harbour master’s office.
What size of yacht can the new quay accommodate?
Cannes yacht berths on the new jetty are laid out along a berthing quay in two segments of 135 and 120 metres, with a maximum water depth of −6 m NGF, and the extension is announced for vessels up to 75 metres.
When is the Vieux-Port de Cannes modernisation due to be completed?
The City of Cannes states that the operation should be completed in early 2027, with deliveries expected that same early-year window for the Laubeuf car park, the services hub, the careening area and the jetty extension.
Do you have to be an exhibitor to berth a yacht during a congress?
For MIPIM® and Cannes Lions®, berthing within the framework of the event is reserved for official exhibitors. For other events and configurations, eligibility may be restricted to exhibitors, sponsors or accredited attendees.
Is Cannes Yachts Booking an official partner of Cannes Lions®?
No. Cannes Yachts Booking is an independent agency, with no affiliation to the event organiser.
When should a project for June 2027 be launched?
The previous autumn, when companies decide their event budgets. A file launched in spring generally arrives after the budget decision.
What happens if no authorisation is granted?
The decision rests with the authorities and the organiser. That is why a sound project includes an alternative shore-based hospitality option from the outset.
Sources
- City of Cannes — Vieux-Port de Cannes, modernisation and enhancement (page updated 30 January 2026).
- Consultation file — Restructuring of the Albert Édouard jetty (31 July 2024).
- Cannes Yachts Booking operational experience of Cannes congress weeks.
Independent agency, neither affiliated with, associated with, sponsored by, accredited by, nor officially connected to the event organiser. Congress names and trademarks cited belong to their respective owners. Cannes Lions® and MIPIM® are registered trademarks of their respective owners. Depending on the event, the intended use of the yacht and the applicable regulations, authorisations from the Port of Cannes and/or the organiser may be required. © 2026 Cannes Yachts Booking.
