Charter a yacht in Cannes for the Mipim or Mipcom

Cannes itself is a town marking the western edge of the Cote D’Azur (the French Riveriera). It has a sheltered position on the semicircular Golfe de Napoule and with an amazing sub-tropical climate, excellent beaches and a wide promenade bedecked with palm trees and bougainvillea; it is the jewel in the crown of the Riviera. The scenic view from the sea is particularly impressive with its backdrop of the distant, sometimes snow-covered, French Alps. For the chartered yachts and other pleasure boats mooring in the bay this must be the most relaxing way to enjoy Cannes and its festivities.


The Old Port (Vieux Port) at the eastern end of Cannes is the place to start a tour of the city and the shopping areas. It is a joy to explore amongst the leafy plain trees around the Hotel de Ville (Town Hall), built in 1874 –6, and around the Allees de la Liberte, with its host of little cafes and restaurants. Each year near the Old Port the annual fireworks display takes place. This was introduced in 1967 and is know one of the top attractions in Cannes during the Festival season. It brings thousands of spectators to crowd the beaches and the long boulevard seafront called “Boulevard La Croisette.” The event is more of a competition than firework display and attracts manufacturers from around the world. The “Festival International d’Art Pyrotechnique” as it is called, lights up the whole bay with a continuous kaleidoscopic display after which the winner receives the “Vestal” Prize. The final decision is made by a panel of international judges whilst a constant security sweep of the harbour is made at regular intervals during the 3 –4 hours of pyrotechnics.

As you leave the Old Port a stroll along the Croisette leads to the” Palais des Festivals“,which opened in 1982. It is surprisingly large since it now has three auditoriums with sound studios, simultaneous translation facilities, audio-visual screens and large projectors. It also has an impressive number of conference rooms and exhibition halls as well as a nightclub and restaurant. The best-known Festival held annually is, of course, the Cannes Film Festival. This red-carpet event is usually held in April – May that might be considered to be the “high season.” It certainly poses a parking problem, which the international traveller using a chartered yacht does not have to experience. Once ashore near the luxury hotels on the Croisette it only takes a 20 minute stroll to the Palais des Festivals.

There are other less well-known conferences and exhibitions at the Palais that are held a little earlier in the year. A conference to bring together the most influential players in the property market will be held 16 – 19th March 2010. It is the “Marche International des Professional a Immobilier” or MIPIM for short. Although an out-of-season event this nevertheless attracted some 18,000 people in 2009 and despite problems with building mortgages, this world premier real estate conference is likely to attract many yachting enthusiasts seeking to live abroad.

In October 2010 the Festival centre conference facilities will be used by the Bluewater Yachting.