Yacht Shows 2026: What They Mean for Your Next Charter

Every fall, the yachting world goes on tour. From the Riviera to the Caribbean , just over three months. And between them, they quietly decide what charter guests will find on board in 2027.

The 2026 line-up runs from September to December: Cannes, Monaco, CROYA in Split, Bodrum, Fort Lauderdale and Antigua. Most of them fall into two groups. The large public shows – Cannes, Monaco and FLIBS – set the trends and unveil the yachts that will enter the charter market next season. The trade-only charter shows – CROYA and Antigua – are closed to the public. This is where brokers step aboard, meet the crews and taste the chef’s cooking before recommending a yacht to anyone. Bodrum, a young public show, sits between the two and brings Türkiye’s fast-growing charter scene into the calendar.
The season begins on the Riviera in late summer and ends in the Caribbean on the eve of winter. Here is what each show brings, and what it means for the next charter.

The season gets under way in Cannes on September 8 and finishes in Antigua on December 9. Of the six shows, four are open to the public, while CROYA and Antigua are for charter professionals only.

Cannes Yachting Festival
September 8–13, Cannes.
Europe’s largest in-water show and the season opener, where new models are unveiled before hitting the charter market.

Monaco Yacht Show
September 23–26, Port Hercule, Monaco.
The global superyacht industry’s key event, where the boats of the future debut before entering private and charter fleets.

CROYA Charter Show
September 28–October 1, Split.
This trade-only show sees Croatia’s crewed charter fleet presented at the end of the summer season.

Bodrum Boat Show
October 14–18, Bodrum.
A young public show bringing together Türkiye’s burgeoning yachting and gulet charter sectors in one place.

Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show (FLIBS)
October 28–November 1, Fort Lauderdale.
The world’s largest in-water show, and the place to see boats heading for the winter charter markets in the Bahamas and the Caribbean.

Antigua Charter Yacht Show
December 4–9, English Harbour.
This trade-only event sees the Caribbean charter fleet showcased before the start of the winter season.

The 49th Cannes Yachting Festival was held September 8–13, 2026, in the Vieux Port and Port Canto. According to the organizer, RX France, the event attracted 56,000 visitors. On the water, there were 700 boats, 5 to 55 meters long, presented by 660 exhibitors, including almost 150 world premieres.
But for charter guests, it’s the world premieres that matter, far more than the visitor count.
Cannes is where builders unveil the models that, a season or two later, appear in the charter fleets of the Riviera, Italy and Greece. And so, on the pontoons of the Vieux Port, the 49th Cannes Yachting Festival provided a preview of the charter yachts on offer in the Mediterranean for summer 2027.

Slow is the new black

The theme of this year’s Cannes Yachting Festival was slow cruising. Organizers proposed that cruisers reduce the distances between stops, stay at anchor for longer, and make voyages quieter and more self-sufficient. This is not just an idea: a 2023 survey by France’s Fédération des Industries Nautiques, cited by the festival, found that 72% of boaters wish to slow their cruising pace. For charter guests, this means itineraries with fewer, longer stops, rather than a new harbor every night.

Charter yachts in the bay

Charter yachts also played a significant role in the festival, with a fleet anchored in the Bay of Cannes ranging from the 99-meter classic CHRISTINA O to the 62-meter THE LANGLEY, the largest sailing yacht in the bay this year. 

In September 2027, the Cannes Yachting Festival will hold its 50th edition. 

The 35th Monaco Yacht Show was held in Port Hercule on September 23–26, 2026. According to the event’s organizers, it brought together 118 superyachts, 560 exhibitors and 30,678 visitors. Fifty of these yachts were delivered in 2026, which is over 40% of the fleet. The combined value of the yachts on show was estimated at €4.5 billion.

The headline yachts

LEVIATHAN (111 meters, Oceanco). The largest yacht at the 2026 show, delivered in late 2025 and making her first Monaco appearance. She is a private yacht, not a charter one, but she shows the direction in which yacht design is heading. She is diesel-electric, with a battery bank large enough to allow her to run silently through the night at anchor, and her spaces are planned around shared life on board.

NIXIE (102.4 meters, Lürssen). The largest 2026 delivery in Port Hercule, making her world premiere, and the largest charter yacht at the show, available from €2.4 million per week. She has one of the largest beach clubs ever built by the yard (essentially the open lounge at water level by the swim platform), plus a spa deck and a glass pool just above it.

ANGELIQUE (88 meters, Turquoise). Presented by the Turkish yard and, according to BOATPro, the largest yacht ever built in Türkiye in terms of volume. She is also available for charter in the Mediterranean.

Why Monaco matters for charter

For charter guests, Monaco provides the clearest insight into the 2027 market. Around 40 charter yachts were on show, 21 of them making their debut. Some of this year’s new deliveries, Nixie among them, are already in charter, and more will join the fleet next summer. Their features (silent nights at anchor, larger beach clubs, wellness decks) will raise expectations across the wider fleet.

The event returns to Port Hercule on September 22–25, 2027. To see what the show offers charter clients, from stepping aboard charter yachts to meeting their crews, read our Monaco Yacht Show guide.

The third CROYA Charter Show in Split took place September 28–October 1, 2026, and was organized by the Croatian Yachting Association (CRO.Y.A.). It brought together:

• more than 250 charter professionals

• about 40 crewed yachts, motor sailers and catamarans

• Croatian exhibitors from across the yachting industry

Interest from brokers was so high that the show was extended to four days, one day more than in 2025, when almost 50 yachts and more than 250 brokers attended.

No tickets, and that’s the point

CROYA is not a show anyone can buy a ticket for. It is strictly trade-only, and that is why it has value.

Over four days, brokers have the chance to walk the yachts moored along Split’s western waterfront. They get to meet the captains and crews, and to try the chefs’ specialties in a dedicated competition. And they come away knowing which yachts deliver on their brochures, and which crews make a week at sea feel effortless.

That is the strongest argument for booking a charter through a broker. Clients do not attend trade shows like CROYA or Antigua. Their broker does, and a recommendation based on firsthand experience is worth more than any set of photographs.

For guests planning to spend a summer among the Dalmatian islands, CROYA is the reason that Croatia’s crewed fleet is better documented every year. Explore yachts and itineraries on our Croatia Yacht Charter page.

The second Bodrum Boat Show took place October 14–18, 2026, in the port of Bodrum. According to the closing figures, it brought together 255 boats, 205 of them afloat in the marina, and 165 exhibiting companies, up from 110 at the first edition in 2025. More than 500 brands were represented, and foreign exhibitors made up over 15% of the total. Only a year after its launch, the show has already made its mark on the Eastern Mediterranean calendar.

Its rise reflects the overall strength of the Turkish yachting market: Türkiye is now a serious builder of large yachts, as shown by the 88-meter Angelique in Monaco, and Bodrum is the hub of its charter scene. The town is the traditional home of the gulet, a wooden sailing yacht designed for leisurely days along the shore, and the starting point of the Blue Voyage, the classic route through the bays of the Turkish Riviera.

For guests, this combination is the attraction: a choice of classic gulets and new superyachts, coastal waters that stay quiet well into fall, and a shoreline that rewards exactly the slow pace Cannes put on its agenda this year.

To compare the two leading East Med destinations, see Greece or Turkey? Deciding the Ultimate Luxury Yacht Escape, or browse through yachts on our Turkey Yacht Charter page.

The 67th Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show runs October 28–November 1, 2026, and is billed as the largest in-water boat show in the world. The organizers expect more than 1,300 boats across several waterfront venues and over 100,000 visitors, in line with recent editions.

Where Cannes and Monaco open the European season, FLIBS opens the American one. The largest yachts gather in the Superyacht Village, while brokerage yachts fill the marinas along the city's waterways, many of them available for charter as well as for sale.

For charter guests, the timing is what counts. FLIBS falls just weeks before the Bahamas and Caribbean season begins. Many of the yachts on its docks will spend the winter between Nassau, the Exumas, St. Barths and the Virgin Islands. The show is a chance to see which yachts are heading south, and to secure the right one before the holiday weeks are taken.

The 65th annual Antigua Charter Yacht Show takes place December 4–9, 2026, at Nelson’s Dockyard in English Harbour, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Organizers describe it as the longest-running charter yacht show in the world, with yachts first gathering in the early 1960s to showcase the region as a charter destination.

Like CROYA, Antigua is trade-only. The charter fleet is spread across three marinas – Nelson’s Dockyard, Falmouth Harbour Marina and Antigua Superyacht Marina & Resort – with brokers shuttling between them over the course of six days.

In between viewings, there are two competitions:

• the chef competition

• the tablescaping contest, where crews demonstrate their skills in laying a table and running a dinner service

For the guest, it’s the week when the Caribbean winter takes shape. Brokers leave Antigua with a firsthand view of the fleet and build their proposals for the December–April season around it. So, for a Christmas, New Year or February escape in the islands, the yachts suggested in mid-December are likely to be exactly the ones brokers viewed in English Harbour.

The 2026 shows point to a 2027 charter season that is quieter, more self-sufficient and more generous with time on the water. Here is how that will feel on board, and why the fall is the moment to act.

Expect silent nights

More and more new builds are going hybrid: hybrid yachts appeared at both Cannes and Monaco this year, from Sanlorenzo’s new SHE to Benetti’s 67-meter DAGGER, whose sistership SYMMETRY joined the charter market this summer.
For guests, the difference is felt at 2 a.m. in a still bay. No hum. No vibration. No smell of exhaust on the aft deck.

Live at water level

The space at water level keeps growing. Nixie’s beach club, spa deck and glass pool show where the newest charter yachts put their volume: into the hours spent between the swim platform and the sea. Not into formal salons.

Slow down

Cannes built its show around slow cruising. Brokers will likely propose fewer stops, longer stays and quieter anchorages. Which also means lower fuel costs, paid from the APA, and calmer days.

Stay out longer

Slower itineraries and more self-sufficient yachts let guests stay away from busy marinas for days. The result is more privacy, and more freedom to follow the weather instead of a fixed schedule.

Look beyond the Riviera

Bodrum shows that Türkiye offers both classic gulets and new superyachts, with a season that runs well into fall. FLIBS and Antigua show which yachts head to the Bahamas and the Caribbean for winter, with crews vetted before the holidays.

Know what “new” really means

The 50 yachts delivered in 2026 and shown in Monaco, together with the premieres in Cannes, form the pool from which next year’s new charter yachts will come.
A yacht in her first or second charter season offers the latest layouts and technology. That said, her crew and track record are still being established. This is where the broker inspections at CROYA and Antigua become valuable.

Our guide to the Top 10 Yacht Builders Most Popular for Charter explains which yards have the strongest charter reputation.

The end of the show season is when the 2027 calendar starts to fill. The most sought-after yachts for July and August in the Mediterranean are often committed by early in the year, and event weeks go first.

Two dates worth noting:

• Monaco Grand Prix: June 4–6, 2027, including the circuit’s first-ever sprint race.

• Cannes Film Festival: its usual May slot.

Yachts for both are typically reserved many months in advance.

Booking in the fall means first choice of yachts and dates. Our 2026 Yacht Charter Guide shows how the event calendar shapes availability, and How Much Does a Yacht Charter Cost in Summer 2026 gives a realistic picture of weekly rates by yacht class and region.

In summary

• The public shows (Cannes, Monaco, FLIBS) preview the yachts and trends of the 2027 charter market.

• The trade-only shows (CROYA, Antigua) are where brokers vet yachts, crews and chefs first-hand.

• Expect quieter nights, bigger beach clubs, slower itineraries and more time away from busy marinas.

• New yachts bring the latest design, but a vetted crew and track record still matter.

• Peak summer and event weeks fill early, so the fall is the time to book.

The shows end in December. Their real result arrives next summer: in the yacht that suits the group, the crew that has already been vetted, and the week secured before anyone else asked for it.

Contact a Yacht Hunter consultant to turn this season’s shows into a 2027 charter, with first choice of yachts, dates and crews.