Three boat shows, one autumn: where to see a Lagoon in 2026
Three shows matter this autumn, and they are genuinely different from one another. Cannes is where boats get launched. Annapolis is where sailors go. Fort Lauderdale is where boats get bought for the season that starts weeks later. If you are shopping for a catamaran and can only make one, which one depends entirely on where you are in the process.
Cannes Yachting Festival — 8 to 13 September
Cannes opens the European season across two harbours, the Vieux Port and Port Canto, and almost everything is in the water. You step aboard rather than peer at a stand.
The reason to go this year is the Lagoon 47. Lagoon is launching it at Cannes — a world premiere, and the first opportunity anywhere to walk through the boat that replaces the 46. If you have been circling the 46 and wondering whether to wait, this is the week that answers it.
Worth knowing: the EIGHTY 2 premiered at Cannes last September and went on to win Sailing Catamaran Above 18m at the Yacht Style Awards in April. Cannes is where Lagoon shows its hand.
Practical notes. Fly into Nice and take the train down the coast — half an hour, and far less painful than driving into Cannes. Friday runs until 22:00, which is the best evening to see a boat lit up and the worst to have a quiet conversation. Tuesday morning is the calmest slot of the entire week.
Annapolis Sailboat Show — 15 to 18 October
The largest in-water sailboat show in the United States, in a town that exists for sailing. The whole historic harbour becomes the show.
Annapolis is sail only, and that is exactly why it is the most useful of the three if you are buying a cruising catamaran. There is no powerboat noise to wade through, the crowd knows boats, and the conversations on the dock are noticeably more technical. Expect the 43, the 46 Iconic and the 51 Iconic to be the ones people queue for.
Thursday is the trade-heavy day and the calmest for a serious conversation; the weekend belongs to the crowds. Wear shoes you can slip off in one motion — you will board a dozen boats and every one of them asks. And October in Maryland can turn, so bring a layer.
Fort Lauderdale — 28 October to 1 November
FLIBS is the biggest of the three by a distance, spread across seven waterfront venues from Bahia Mar to Pier Sixty-Six. Sail, power, and a great deal above both.
For a Caribbean buyer the argument for FLIBS is timing. It runs weeks before the Caribbean season opens, which means a boat bought at Fort Lauderdale can be in the Virgin Islands for the winter. We handle that delivery run regularly, and it is a lot shorter than most people assume.
The size is both the appeal and the trap. Pick your venues before you arrive — trying to see all seven in a day means seeing none of them properly. Wednesday opens at midday and is the quietest half-day. Use the water taxis between sites; driving between them is miserable.
So which one?
If you want to see the newest boats first, Cannes. If you are comparing cruising catamarans seriously and want the most useful dock conversations, Annapolis. If you want to buy something and be sailing it in the Caribbean this winter, Fort Lauderdale.
One thing that makes any of them better: tell us you are going. Stand lists firm up close to the show, walk-up access to premieres is limited, and appointments arranged in advance are a completely different experience from queueing on a pontoon in the sun. We can usually get you aboard boats that are otherwise three-deep.
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