Bigger yachts headline Cannes Yachting Festival 2025 as average size climbs

The 2025 Cannes Yachting Festival will see a clear upturn in size, with the average yacht length and gross tonnage both rising, as well as the return of the 50-metre-plus segment after last year’s absence.

BOATPro data shows that 99 yachts of 24 metres and above are currently confirmed – slightly higher than 2024’s 92 – but the real story is the upward shift in scale. The average length on average (LOA) has reached 32.5 metres, compared with 32.3 metres in 2024 and just 31.3 metres in 2023. Gross tonnage has climbed even more sharply, with an average of 242GT, up from 216GT last year.

The largest yacht in attendance will be the 55-metre After You, a Heesen delivered in 2011. But the headlines belong to two Italian new builds: Tankoa’s 45-metre Singolare and Cantiere delle Marche’s 45-metre Project T, which lead a slate of 18 debuts. Other notable newcomers include the 44-metre Benetti Class 44, Columbus Yachts’ 42-metre Big Naan, the Maiora 36 Exuma and Sanlorenzo’s new SX120. 

Italian shipyards dominate this year’s debut line-up, with Tankoa, Cantiere delle Marche, Benetti, Columbus, Sanlorenzo, Riva, Ferretti Yachts, AB Yachts, Extra Yachts, Picchiotti and Silent Yachts all represented, while only a handful of new builds come from outside Italy. These include Hargrave Superyachts Division’s 125 model in Turkey, Gulf Craft’s Majesty 100 Terrace in the UAE, and Van der Valk’s Lalabe and St-Barth Yachting’s St-Barth II, both from the Netherlands.

While motor yachts continue to dominate (94 confirmed versus just five sailing yachts), sailing sees a slight rebound from last year’s low of three. Nevertheless, the category remains well below pre-2024 levels, when 12 sailing yachts were present.

With its increasing average size and the reappearance of 50-metre-plus yachts, this year's Festival reinforces the show’s position as a launchpad for shipyards targeting the high end of the market.