The Monaco Yacht Show is one of, if not the one, most glamorous and opulent event, dazzling the hundreds of visitors, yacht connoisseurs and billionaires travelling to Port Hercules, the only deep-water port on Monaco’s Mediterranean Coast. $4.29 billion dollars worth of floating real estate creates one of the most extravagant displays of the year, containing 125 superyachts. The four-day extravaganza will be returning for its 30^th celebration this September, between Wednesday 23^rd and Saturday 26^th.

The showcase attracts around 30,000 visitors annually, including prospective buyers, yacht designers, sellers, and those who simply wish to see the glitz and glamour that Monaco has to offer, which includes not only the yachts themselves, the helipads, beach clubs, party scene, and spas that come as part of the package.

The luxury of the superyachts, each of which measures longer than 24 metres, is what exactly makes this show entirely unique, alongside being able to learn about the industry itself. It’s not only the yacht design and structure that’s on display, but also the latest gadgets and toys that make up a part of it. With the owners, designers and even crew members on board, visitors are able to experience every part of the yacht’s equipment. The ‘portable private islands’ claim a variety of toys, ranging from exhilarating speedboats, personal submarines and limousines, impressing those from all around the world.

Founded in 1991 and organised by the French entrepreneur Maurice Cohen, the show began with 30 boats, the largest of which was approximately 50 metres. Since then, the exhibition has grown in terms of audience numbers as well as the actual size of the yachts, every year. The largest yacht displayed, designed by British Studio Winch Design and built by German shipyard Lurssen, Tis, features two helipads on board, and is often the spotlight of the show, measuring an astounding 111 metres. Another from Winch Design, Excellence, boasts 80 metres, and hosts a swimming pool and platform, a hot tub and even a beach club, attracting younger clientele, key for a future in the industry as over the next decade, the median-age of yacht owners is expected to drop considerably.

Other masterpieces include the Amadea, which includes a 30-foot-long infinity pool, and a selection of outdoor cinemas, and DreAMBoat (titled after the initials of the designer), which provides luxurious accommodation for 23 guests as well as 33 crew members. Whilst other yachts also proudly display their spaciousness, some even provide exclusive, one of a kind experiences for guests and visitors, such as whisky tasting onboard the M/Y Legend. Other brands and products also launch at the show, taking advantage of the luxurious audience of the industry, including, in recent years, CanO Water, the innovative, resealable can of water that has popularised following its introduction at the show.

Making the show a success every year, organisers ensure a selection process where brokers are only allowed to exhibit yachts for a maximum of two consecutive years, and shipyards are only allowed to display superyachts delivered in the past two years, creating a unique atmosphere every exhibition. To add to the speciality of the display, in 2016, the event debuted its Car Deck exhibition, which featured pieces from Aston Martin, Bently, Lamborghini and Hemmels.

Alongside the events onboard the yachts themselves, the opening gala of the show sets the tone of the glamour and luxury to come in the following days, featuring a range of celebrities, the social elites, and VIPs including Prince Albert II of Monaco himself. Considering the country is smaller than New York’s Central Park, yet entertains the wealthiest from nations all over the world, and one-third of the country’s residents are millionaires with a GDP per capita of approximately $166,000, it’s no surprise that the show is a spectacle of wealth and luxury, a playground for the rich, ending their summers season in style. The Casino, hotels and restaurants display this level of luxury and exclusivity, especially during the yachting season, when it’s not just locals willing to splash the cash, at one of the most prestigious events of the year.