At Cannes Film Festival 2026, the red carpet remains the centre of gravity, but the festival’s world stretches far beyond it. From 12 to 23 May, Cannes draws in filmmakers, actors, distributors, fashion houses and a fleet of Cannes Film Festival yachts that become part of the Riviera spectacle after dark.
Across the city, cinema spills between sea and shore, from hotel lobbies turned into fleeting stages for diplomacy and terrace meetings. While the Official Selection sets the artistic tone, Cannes creates its own wider story: part industry summit, part cultural ritual, and part Mediterranean theatre.
Cannes Film Festival 2026 – Yachts
Anchored off the Croisette or gathered around Vieux-Port and Port-Canto, these Cannes Film Festival yachts form a second skyline, glowing after dark in a city built on visibility.
During the festival, these yachts serve as meeting rooms, reception spaces, and after-hours salons, hosting brand dinners, private launches, and discreet conversations away from the busy hotel lobbies. These yachts promise exclusivity, where discretion and display share the same deck.
Just J’s
Among the most notable yachts seen during Cannes Film Festival 2026 is Just J’s, a 61-metre Royal Hakvoort yacht delivered in 2016. Designed by Sinot Yacht Architecture & Design, with naval architecture by Diana Yacht Design, it is one of the larger vessels to appear around Cannes this year. Its semi-circular owner’s suite, wrapped in floor-to-ceiling glazing with 180-degree views and a private terrace with a Jacuzzi, offers the kind of cinematic framing Cannes encourages.
Paris
Paris, a 56.2-metre Amels yacht delivered in 1991 and formerly known as Katamarino, brings a more established Riviera presence. It has been a frequent visitor to Cannes in recent years. With accommodation for up to 16 guests across eight cabins, it represents the more enduring side of the festival’s harbour life, where return appearances become part of the seasonal pattern.
Gigagi
Gigagi, formerly known as Elixir, adds a contemporary Amels profile to the waterfront. The 55-metre yacht was delivered in 2016 as part of the yard’s Limited Edition 180 series, with exterior design by Tim Heywood and interiors by Laura Sessa Design. Its onboard cinema, beach club, sauna, dive centre and sundeck bar make it particularly suited to a festival where screening rooms, social spaces and after-hours hospitality often overlap.
Eleonora E
Not every vessel at Cannes is defined by modern scale. Eleonora E, a 49.5-metre Van der Graaf sailing yacht, brings a different kind of presence to the Riviera. A replica of the 1910 schooner Westward, it is recognised for its twin masts, traditional panelled interiors and classic silhouette. Eleonora E is a reminder that Cannes’ relationship with the sea is also about nostalgia and charm.
ArtExplorer
ArtExplorer may be the yacht that best captures Cannes’ cultural contradictions. The 46.5-metre Perini Navi sailing catamaran, commissioned by French tech entrepreneur and philanthropist Frédéric Jousset, is developed as a floating art gallery designed to bring art to wider audiences. Back for its second year in Cannes, it feels firmly aligned with a festival balanced with private access and cultural influence.
Secret Life
Secret Life, a 45-metre Feadship delivered in 1974, brings a more traditional note to the anchorage. Its teak decks, classic Dutch craftsmanship and understated profile offer a contrast to the sharper silhouettes of newer builds. During Cannes, that old-school Riviera charm stands out, less futuristic and more timeless, rooted in Mediterranean elegance.
Grand Mariana
Grand Mariana, a 44-metre Benetti delivered in 2006, fits naturally into the Cannes scene. With a tri-deck profile by Stefano Righini, multiple bars, shaded lounge spaces and a sundeck Jacuzzi, it reflects the practical social role many yachts play during the festival. Its vessel is not only observed from shore, but is designed to host, gather and extend the festival’s hospitality onto the water.
This Is It
This Is It, a 43.5-metre Tecnomar catamaran delivered in 2024, showcases more futuristic designs in the festival waters. Its angled glass pool, positioned between the dual hulls, and sculptural multihull profile make it difficult to miss. Returning to Cannes for a second time, it represents the more experimental side of the yacht scene.
Cannes Film Festival 2026 – Hotels
As Cannes Film Festival yachts define the glamour offshore, the hotels define the legacy on land. Their entrances, suites, bars, and hallways are part of Cannes’ timeless stories.
Hôtel Martinez
Hôtel Martinez is still one of the festival’s most recognisable landmarks. Its position on the Croisette gives it a front-row view of the city’s daily procession, from press teams and stylists to executives and guests moving between interviews, fittings and premieres. It evokes Mediterranean charm and the effortless joy of seaside living, having welcomed notable guests during the festival, including Bella Hadid.
Carlton Cannes
Carlton Cannes holds a distinct place in Cannes’ mythology. Its Belle Époque façade has long shaped the festival’s visual language, symbolising the glamour, history and continuity that surround the Croisette. Following its reopening, the hotel has resumed its role as one of Cannes’ most iconic gathering points for the international crowd.
Its balconies, grand entrances and sea-facing rooms become part of the festival choreography, framing arrivals, encounters and celebrity moments against one of Cannes’ most enduring backdrops.
Le Majestic
Le Majestic, close to the Palais, has a closer relationship with the festival’s business. Its location makes it especially central to the daily traffic of screenings, interviews, meetings and industry gatherings.
The hotel’s energy comes from its proximity to the Palais. It also has a penthouse suite with a heated rooftop pool and 360-degree views of Cannes.
Hôtel du Cap-Éden-Roc
Hôtel du Cap-Éden-Roc is like Cannes’s off-site dream. Here, the festival slows down but stays exclusive, with lunches, parties, and private events feeling extra special. If the Croisette is the main stage, Hotel du Cap is where glamour creates moments that outlive the red carpet.
Cannes between Sea and Shore
As the Cannes Film Festival 2026 enters its final stretch, the city begins to change. Terraces remain full, photographers hold their positions, and the harbour keeps its lights on, but the tempo changes. The festival may close, but the city keeps performing.
Between sea and shore, Cannes Film Festival yachts command the coastline while hotels carry its soul. In Cannes, cinema does not simply arrive. It takes its place, and the world keeps watching.
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