Events
Cannes Film Festival
Two weeks every May when the French Riviera becomes the centre of the world's attention. Here's how to make every bit of it count, starting with a boat.
Cannes by sea, obviously
Every May, the Côte d'Azur shifts up a gear. Cannes, already one of the most beautiful places on the French Riviera, becomes something else entirely for a fortnight. The harbour fills, the Croisette buzzes and the whole place runs at a higher frequency. Being on the water for it is the right call.
The festival and why it's worth it
The Cannes Film Festival has been running since 1946, and in that time it's grown into something more than a film event. It's a meeting point, a social occasion and a spectacle all happening at once. The screenings and the red carpet are only part of it. What you're really there for is the energy: the harbour packed with extraordinary yachts, the evenings that stretch out, the sense that something is always happening just around the corner. The historic 80th edition runs from 11 to 22 May 2027.
And all of this takes place in genuinely beautiful surroundings. The bay, the old town, the hills behind, the clarity of the water in late May. It's one of the best stretches of Mediterranean coastline there is, and during the festival it's running at full voltage.
The Îles de Lérins and La Guérite
Just offshore from Cannes lie two small islands that most festival visitors never quite get to. Sainte-Marguerite and Saint-Honorat are a reminder of why people started coming to the Riviera in the first place, long before the hotels and the traffic.
On Sainte-Marguerite, La Guérite has become the go-to beach club for people who know where to go during the festival. The rosé is cold, the grilled fish is exceptional and the clientele is, shall we say, interesting. Elton John is famously fond of it. During festival fortnight you genuinely never know who's going to be at the next table, which is entirely part of the appeal. Getting there by private charter rather than the public ferry means you arrive on your own terms, skip the queue and make an afternoon of it properly.
La Guérite during the festival is one of those places where the afternoon stretches out, the conversation gets better and nobody is in any hurry to leave.
What Ahoy Days arranges
From day charters out to the islands to quayside events for a hundred guests, we handle the full range. Whatever you need on the water during Cannes, we can put it together.
01
Day Charters
Half-day and full-day hire with skipper. We handle the routing, the skipper, the catering. You just show up.
02
Island Transfers
Direct runs to the Îles de Lérins, Antibes, Nice, Monaco and along the coast. Faster than the road, better in every way.
03
Sunset Cruises
The bay at dusk during the festival is something to see. A couple of hours on the water as the light changes and the evening starts.
04
Quayside Events & Onboard Entertaining
During the Cannes Film Festival, the harbours come alive with parties and every major player in film, fashion and media wants a boat to host from. We arrange larger vessels that stay quayside and work as event spaces: catering, décor, sound, guest management, the lot. It's end-to-end, and it's one of the most memorable ways to entertain at any festival in the world. If you've got a brand, a client list or a reason to celebrate, this is how you do it in Cannes.
Book early, book properly
Festival fortnight is the busiest period on the Riviera calendar. The roads are slow, good accommodation goes fast and the best boats are gone well before the opening ceremony. If you've got specific dates in mind, or you want to pair a La Guérite lunch with a sunset cruise back into harbour, sorting that now is the sensible move.
Booking with Ahoy Days is easy and done entirely online. Pick your boat, choose your dates and confirm in minutes, with everything sorted instantly and no back-and-forth required. For full-scale quayside events, catering packages or anything more involved, our dedicated events team are on hand to pull it all together. One conversation and they'll handle everything from there.