
Cannes Lions Yacht Charter
Five days each June when the entire global creative, marketing and platform economy compresses onto two kilometres of Croisette — and a chartered yacht in the Vieux Port becomes the only viable format for senior-level hospitality.
Why Cannes Lions belongs on the water
Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity is, by every meaningful metric, the largest single convergence of the global marketing, media and creative economy in the calendar. Fifteen thousand accredited delegates plus an unaccredited surrounding tier of perhaps another twenty thousand land in Cannes for five days each June, drawn by an award programme that legitimises industry creative output and a sponsor-and-platform conference programme that has effectively become the year's most important client-side commercial calendar. Holding-company CEOs (WPP, Publicis, Omnicom, IPG, Havas, Dentsu), the leadership tier of every major platform (Google, Meta, TikTok, Amazon, Netflix, Spotify, Snap), the brand-side CMO community of every Tier-1 consumer and B2B advertiser, and the senior award juries all sit in Cannes through the festival week.
The arithmetic of senior hospitality at Lions does not work on the Croisette alone. The 1,800 hotel rooms suitable for senior industry hosting are taken by sponsor allocations a year ahead; restaurant reservations across the working dinner window saturate by April; villa rentals in the hills above La Californie clear by Easter. The holding-company and platform host calendars long ago migrated their senior hospitality onto chartered yachts in the Vieux Port and along the Jetée Albert Edouard. A 45-metre yacht moored Mediterranean-stern onto the Vieux Port across Lions week is the only setting in Cannes that delivers back-to-back senior client meetings, partner dinners, talent dinners and award-night receptions across five days without leaving the harbour.
From a charter-broker perspective, Lions week is the most operationally efficient of the major Cannes weeks. The festival's working day is shorter than the Film Festival's (programme typically 09:00 to 19:00 with the evening reserved for hosted dinners); the press perimeter is essentially absent (Lions does not have a Film Festival paparazzi infrastructure); the hosting cadence is more predictable (every host runs a similar shape — daytime conference, late-afternoon yacht reception, principal-table dinner, late-evening platform party). The yacht charter shape that delivers Lions is consistent: a 40-to-55-metre motor yacht on the Vieux Port, a chef capable of running five days of high-volume hosted cocktails and seated dinners, a chief stewardess running a meaningful guest flow through credentialed entry from the quay.
Editorially, Lions charter splits into three principal briefs. The first is the holding-company anchor charter — WPP, Publicis or peer running a five-day client-and-talent programme on a 50m-plus yacht for two hundred touches across the week. The second is the platform activation charter — Google, Meta, TikTok or Amazon running a brand-positioned yacht as the extension of their main Lions stage presence. The third is the brand or agency principal charter — a CMO or creative-agency principal hosting their senior partner and talent table on a 38-to-45-metre yacht for the working dinner programme. This guide covers all three.
Cannes Lions Vieux Port berths commit to holding-co clients 9–12 months in advance.
Cannes Lions day-by-day
Indicative running order based on prior editions. Final times are released by the organisers closer to the date; your concierge will confirm the working schedule for your charter week.
- Day –3 to –1Thu–Sat pre-weekYacht arrivals & rig
Charter yachts arrive Cannes from Antibes, Saint-Tropez or the Îles d'Hyères through the prior weekend. Vieux Port and Jetée Albert Edouard berths take up Saturday and Sunday; branded dressing for platform and holding-company yachts completes through Sunday. The town quiets briefly before the festival opens Monday.
- Day 1 — MonFestival opens, soft hosting
Festival programme opens 09:00 with the main-stage keynote. Daytime conference; first evening of hosted yacht receptions 18:00–20:00 along the Vieux Port. Soft-launch dinner hosting at La Palme d'Or, the Carlton beach and on board. Monday night is the calmest hosting evening of the week and the right night for the principal-table introductory dinner.
- Day 2 — TueFirst peak hosting day
Densest single hosting day of the festival. Most platforms and holding companies hold their principal client reception Tuesday evening 18:30–20:30 on board, followed by the principal-table dinner ashore. Tuesday-night late-evening parties at the Carlton beach, the Martinez and the platform-rented beachfronts begin. Plage du Majestic and Plage Macé peak.
- Day 3 — WedAwards mid-week
Wednesday and Thursday evenings host the headline category Awards ceremonies at the Palais. Yacht-based pre-awards receptions for nominee teams 17:00–19:00, then awards ceremony from 19:30. Late-night winners' parties on the platform yachts and at the Carlton beach until 03:00.
- Day 4 — ThuAwards second night
Second night of category Awards. The hosted dinner programme narrows to closing-conversation tables of eight to twelve rather than reception scale; the working business of the week — the senior client conversations the festival is built around — concentrates on Thursday night dinners ashore. Eden Roc dinner is the contested Thursday reservation.
- Day 5 — FriGrand Prix night & festival close
Friday evening hosts the Lions Grand Prix ceremony and the festival closing party. The single largest party night of the week; the platform after-parties at the Carlton beach and the Martinez go until 04:00. Yacht-based late-evening cocktails for the principal tables provide a quieter alternative to the platform programme.
- Day 6 — SatDeparture or onward cruise
Departure day. Most platform and holding-company yachts disembark guests Saturday morning at the Vieux Port for private-aviation departures from Nice. Yachts that extend with principal clients typically slip lines for a 2–4 day Riviera continuation: Saint-Tropez, Porquerolles or onward to Monaco and Portofino.
Where the week actually happens
The berths, terraces, lounges, and tables that define Cannes Lions. Access varies: some require a host on the inside, others can be arranged through our concierge.
- BerthVieux Port — Cannes
The Lions hosting jetty. Vieux Port Mediterranean-mooring side-on positions for 30–55m within five minutes' walk of the Palais and the main-stage venues. The default working berth for any serious Lions charter; allocation through Régies du Port with strong broker coordination.
- BerthJetée Albert Edouard
Stern-to positions for 50–80m yachts, opposite the Palais. The choice for the larger holding-company and platform yachts; the same physical infrastructure as the Film Festival but with shorter berth-occupancy contracts in June.
- Beach & diningCarlton Beach — Cannes
The defining late-night Lions venue. The Carlton-operated beachfront hosts the headline platform after-parties (Spotify Beach, Pinterest Beach, LinkedIn Beach in some years) across the week. The beach pavilion programme is the working core of the late-evening calendar.
- Beach & diningPlage du Majestic — Cannes
The Majestic Barrière's beachfront, host to a significant portion of the daytime platform activations and the early-evening hosted cocktails. The contested working-lunch reservation across the week.
- Beach & diningPlage Macé — Cannes
The Croisette-municipal beach hosting a number of platform takeovers across the week. Useful daytime venue for less-formal partner cocktails; consistently programmed end-to-end across Lions.
- Hotel & diningHôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc — Antibes
The festival's contested principal-table dinner venue, fifteen minutes' helicopter or thirty minutes' car west of Cannes. Eden Roc Pavillon and the terrace dinners are the highest-stakes Lions reservation; the rooftop bar runs to 02:00 across the week.
- RestaurantLa Palme d'Or — Hôtel Martinez
Two-Michelin-starred kitchen at the Martinez. The contested principal-table dinner reservation across Lions; book by April for the main dinner nights. The terrace dinners on Tuesday and Wednesday are the working principal-table format.
- RestaurantLa Guérite — Île Sainte-Marguerite
Ten minutes by tender from the Vieux Port. The festival's most-loved daytime escape, useful for Wednesday or Thursday lunch with the principal client table away from the Croisette pace.
- RestaurantTetou — Golfe-Juan
Traditional bouillabaisse house twenty minutes' car west of Cannes. The contested traditional-Riviera lunch venue for senior client tables that want distance from the festival noise.
- RestaurantLe 38 The Restaurant — Carlton
Pierre Gagnaire's Carlton kitchen, reopened with the hotel. The contested newer Lions principal-table dinner reservation alongside La Palme d'Or, with capacity for tables of ten to twenty in the side rooms.
What Cannes Lions actually costs
Indicative all-in budgets for a seven-night charter timed to the event. Base rates are the yacht only; APA (advance provisioning, typically 30–35%), VAT where applicable, and event-week berth supplements sit on top.
A compact Lions base for a CMO, agency principal or smaller brand host. Sleeps a tight principal party, hosts an early-evening cocktail for 25 plus the principal-table dinner on board. Pragmatic when the yacht supports a smaller hosted programme alongside the main-stage attendance.
The default Lions hosting yacht. A modern 45-metre Sanlorenzo, Heesen or Benetti on the Vieux Port within five minutes' walk of the Palais, crew of nine or ten, a chef capable of two hosted cocktails and a seated dinner per day across the week. The bracket where the yacht hosts the working CMO or senior-platform dinner table.
The platform-activation and mid-tier holding-company bracket. A 55-metre Heesen or Benetti, crew of fourteen, beach club aft, sky lounge that converts to a private dining room for twenty. The bracket that hosts the headline Tuesday-evening reception of seventy plus the principal-table dinner on board through the week.
The major holding-company and Tier-1 platform anchor charter. Crew of twenty, helideck, formal indoor dining for eighteen, the foredeck staging a hundred-and-twenty standing reception. The yacht as full hospitality embassy for the week; the alternative to taking over the Eden Roc terrace for the headline night.
A narrow pinnacle bracket — most yachts at this scale across Lions week are platform or holding-company anchor charters contracted by single introduction six months ahead. The platform for the headline festival party of the week, hosted on the foredeck for 180 standing.
A seven-day yacht itinerary around Cannes Lions
- Day 1 — SunAntibes board, transit to Cannes
Board mid-afternoon at Port Vauban or IYCA Antibes, transit to Cannes, take up the Vieux Port berth in the late afternoon. Soft Champagne reception on the aft deck, quiet on-board dinner before the festival opens Monday.
- Day 2 — MonFestival opens, soft hosting
Daytime conference attendance for the principal party at the Palais. 18:30 — host soft reception on the aft deck for twenty closest senior client guests, 20:30 — principal-table dinner at La Palme d'Or. Late return to yacht for nightcaps.
- Day 3 — TuePeak hosting day
Working breakfast on the aft deck for the principal-and-CMO table of ten. Daytime conference. 18:30 — host headline yacht reception for sixty (the single largest function of the week), 20:30 — principal-table dinner at the Eden Roc by helicopter shuttle, late-night return to yacht.
- Day 4 — WedAwards arc
Daytime conference and award-jury programme. 17:00 — pre-Awards reception on the upper deck for category nominee teams, 19:30 — Awards ceremony at the Palais, late-night winners' party at the Carlton beach. Yacht hosts decompression cocktails on the aft deck for the principal table after 01:00.
- Day 5 — ThuWorking dinner day
Working day. Closing-conversation tables on board through the day — eight-seater and twelve-seater meetings in the sky lounge. Dinner at Tetou for the principal-and-client table of ten. Quieter Thursday night by design.
- Day 6 — FriGrand Prix & festival close
Lions Grand Prix ceremony evening. Pre-ceremony cocktail on board for the principal table, Grand Prix ceremony at the Palais, late-evening party at the Carlton beach. Yacht hosts post-party cocktails for closest guests until 02:30.
- Day 7 — SatDeparture or onward cruise
Disembark mid-morning from the Vieux Port for private-aviation departures from Nice, or — for clients who extend — slip lines for Saint-Tropez and a 2–3 day post-festival continuation: Pampelonne lunches, Porquerolles overnight, return to Antibes for final disembarkation Tuesday morning.
What life on board looks like
Lions week, operationally, is the cleanest serious hosting week in the European calendar. The festival programme is predictable, the hosting cadence is consistent across the major hosts, the weather is reliably 22–27°C, and the on-board pace settles into a rhythm by Tuesday that the crew can hold through the week without faltering. The most useful single capability is a chief stewardess running credentialed entry from the quay efficiently — the working CMO conversation that the host wants to happen at 18:45 cannot happen if a thirty-minute boarding-queue forms at 18:30, and the difference between a polished week and a frustrating one is almost always how cleanly the guest flow at the gangway is managed.
On board, the platform yachts and the holding-company yachts have converged on a similar hospitality shape — branded but tasteful, three-course seated dinners rather than walking buffets, a serious cocktail programme led by a guest-mixologist for one or two nights, and tightly managed bowing-out times so the principal client always has a clear exit before the late-evening platform programme starts. We brief crews on this rhythm; the yachts that do Lions well are the yachts whose crews understand that the working purpose of the week is conversation, and that the hospitality is in service of the conversation rather than the other way around.
Off the yacht, the concierge layer manages the items the host cannot — restaurant reservations across La Palme d'Or, Le 38, La Guérite, Tetou, La Mome and the Plage du Majestic across the week (booked by April); Awards-ceremony seating; helicopter movements to the Eden Roc; the after-party access at the Carlton beach where the platform allocations are bilaterally negotiated; the discrete car movements that get the principal table from Vieux Port quay to dinner and back without theatre. Our Lions-week concierge is on site from the Sunday before opening through the Saturday departure morning.
How Cannes Lions actually gets booked
- T–10 to T–12 monthsYacht longlist & berth strategy
Charter enquiries for the following June Lions open in July or August of the prior year. Vieux Port and Jetée allocations firm up through autumn; the better positions are taken by November. Holding-company and platform anchor charters typically renew their inventory at the close of the previous Lions; new client conversations should open by August at the latest.
- T–6 to T–8 monthsYacht contracted
Yacht contracted with 50% deposit by November/December for a June Lions. Berth contract confirmed in parallel through Régies du Port.
- T–4 monthsHosting programme drafted
Hosting calendar drafted — daily reception and dinner table; restaurant reservations confirmed across La Palme d'Or, Le 38, Tetou and the principal-table dinner venues; Awards-ceremony seating requested through Lions allocation; helicopter and beach-club allocations coordinated.
- T–2 monthsGuest list & dietary lock
Final guest list, accreditation requests submitted to Lions through host allocation, arrival flights, dietary requirements, stateroom assignments handed to chief stewardess and chef. Branded provisioning ordered if the week is a corporate activation.
- T–4 weeksRehearsal & supplier confirmation
Captain and chief stewardess walk through the daily reception flow with the broker; on-quay credentialed-entry process tested; tender and car movements confirmed; suppliers (florists, branded barware, on-shore cocktail programme partner) confirmed.
- Festival weekLive concierge
On-site concierge from Sunday through Saturday morning. Master schedule held in real time; broker-on-call for any escalation.
Yachts suited to Cannes Lions
Examples from our current fleet. Final yacht and berth are matched to your group and event week at proposal stage.
Our team will hand-pick yachts for your dates. Send a brief and we'll come back within 24 hours.
Cannes Lions charter — questions answered in depth
- What does a Cannes Lions yacht charter cost, all-in?
A 45-metre yacht for the Lions week (six nights, Sunday arrival through Saturday departure) typically runs €380,000–€640,000 all-in. That comprises a base charter fee of around €230,000–€385,000, APA of 30–35%, the Vieux Port berth supplement of €40,000–€80,000, and concierge, restaurant programme, beverage, helicopter and on-shore coordination of €55,000–€120,000. A 55-metre yacht moves the all-in to €700,000–€1.2m; 70m+ moves beyond €2.2m.
- How is Lions different from the Cannes Film Festival?
Same physical infrastructure, completely different industry and pace. Film Festival is twelve days of competition and sales market drawing the film and streaming business with intense paparazzi attention. Lions is five days of conference and creative awards drawing the marketing, advertising and platform business with essentially no paparazzi presence. Lions is operationally simpler and runs at a faster commercial pace; the working dinners actually close commercial business.
- Can my brand-side CMO host on board without a holding-company sponsor?
Yes. A growing share of Lions yacht charters are brand-side principals (CPG, financial services, automotive, luxury, tech) hosting their direct agency and platform relationships rather than going through holding-company sponsor allocations. The 40–48m bracket is the natural size for this model — large enough for a credible CMO-led dinner programme, controllable enough for a tight working week.
- What's the right yacht size for Lions?
For a CMO or agency principal host: 38–48m. For a platform activation or mid-tier holding-company anchor: 49–60m. For a Tier-1 holding-company or platform headline charter: 60m+. The 45–55m bracket is the sweet spot for the working hospitality the festival is built around — meaningful enough to host a 60-person reception, controllable enough to run a tight five-day cadence.
- Can I get a Vieux Port berth?
Yes — but engagement by August/September of the prior year is required for the better positions. Holding-company and platform anchor charters hold many of the prime Vieux Port positions year-on-year through long-standing broker contracts; the inventory that releases each year is meaningful but not unlimited. Inside six months, the secondary berths at Port Pierre Canto and Jetée Albert Edouard stern positions are the remaining options.
- What about accreditation for the festival?
Lions accreditation is allocated through delegate and sponsor passes; the holding-company and platform sponsors hold significant pass allocations they distribute through invited guests. For brand-side and agency principal hosts, accreditation is purchased directly through the Lions registration programme; we coordinate the registration window with hosts at contracting.
- Can I host A-list talent on board?
Less common at Lions than at the Film Festival, but yes — the celebrity-and-creator economy is a growing presence at Lions through the platforms, and platform yachts now regularly host talent appearances across the week. The on-board talent-hosting protocol is identical to Film Festival practice; experienced festival crews handle the choreography without issue.
- How do guests get to Cannes for Lions?
Nice Côte d'Azur airport is the primary point of arrival — 25 minutes by car, 8 minutes by helicopter to Cannes-Mandelieu and a short tender to yacht. Private aviation infrastructure at Nice is dense across Lions week; helicopter and yacht-side transfer coordination is standard across our Lions charters.
- Can we extend the charter into a partner offsite?
Yes — and this is one of the most popular continuations. Many platform and holding-company hosts contract a 3–5 day post-Lions partner offsite continuation, slipping lines Saturday from Cannes for Saint-Tropez or Porquerolles and running a quieter, smaller principal-table programme through the following week with senior clients only.
- Is the WiFi on board good enough for live business?
Yes. Mediterranean charter yachts at the relevant scale run Starlink with redundant cellular failover; bandwidth supports streaming, video conferencing, live-presentation delivery and an entire connected hosted programme. Cannes town cellular coverage is excellent across the marina; guests' own devices work without intervention.
- Can children come?
Possible but rare. Lions is operationally intense across the host's calendar and the on-board guest flow is meaningful; most clients arrange family time before or after the festival rather than during. We have run family weeks bracketing Lions — pre-week Riviera cruising with family, hand-over Sunday in Cannes, family return to Nice for departure — successfully.
- Can I host the Lions Grand Prix winning team on board?
Yes — a number of platform and holding-company hosts run yacht-based winners' receptions for their winning category teams Friday night, as a controlled alternative to the larger Carlton beach after-parties. The format runs 22:30 to 02:30 with a relaxed cocktail programme; the chartered yacht is a calmer and more controlled venue than any of the beach alternatives.
- What's the cancellation policy?
Yacht charter cancellation follows the MYBA agreement signed at contract — typically 50% deposit non-refundable from signing, balance at six months, full balance non-refundable inside ninety days. Berth contracts are non-refundable from allocation. Specialist charter cancellation insurance is strongly recommended and we introduce a broker at contracting.
Lions is the single most operationally efficient corporate hospitality week in the European charter calendar — predictable cadence, dense commercial value, reliable June weather. Engagement for the following Lions should open the August before; serious Vieux Port berth conversations close by November.
Plan a cannes lions yacht charter from a private superyacht — front-quay berth, Michelin-level crew, helicopter and concierge handled end-to-end.
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