Southampton Boat Show 2026: a ten-day wrap-up

The Southampton International Boat Show has just wrapped up another ten days at Mayflower Park, having run from 18 to 27 September. It is Britain's biggest festival of boating and the UK's flagship boating and watersports event, held in Europe's largest purpose-built marina, which covers 50,000 square metres of docks. This year's edition brought together more than 700 marine brands and over 500 watercraft on display, from motorboats and sailboats to RIBs, catamarans, luxury yachts and superyachts, all run in partnership with the RNLI and the Royal Yachting Association.

On the water, the big names were out in force. Oyster Yachts showed the Oyster 595, a 60-foot luxury offshore liveaboard sailing yacht that sleeps up to eight guests and crew across four cabins. Absolute Yachts brought the 60 FLY alongside the Navetta 53, 58 and 62, while Argo Yachting displayed Galeon Yachts — the 440 FLY, 450 HTC and 560 FLY — and the Pardo 38R. Over at Inspiration Marine Group, the line-up ran from the Hanse 360, 410 and 460 through to the FJORD 39 XL and the Sargo 33 and 36. Sunseeker, Princess Yachts, Fairline, Jeanneau, Beneteau, Greenline, Saxdor and Azimut were also among the exhibitors.

There was plenty to do beyond browsing the pontoons. The Key Yachting J/70 Invitational Cup took place on 26 September, and the Sail Hub sat at The Ghostship and Sailing Solice. Three stages kept the land side busy: the Boating Stage, the Wooden Boat Stage, which returned for 2026, and the Wooden Boat Stage Afloat. The Shipyard ran daily live music with headliners like Blue Water Giants, The Gloria Estefan Experience and The GIG, plus a Maclean Brothers set on Thursday 24 September and the HMS Collingwood Parade on the 26th. On the water, you could try diving, paddleboarding and 'Try a Boat' sessions.

The RNLI was the Show Charity of the Year, with its Shannon class all-weather lifeboat and the new Atlantic 85 Mk4 on view, while the Innovation Hub ran talks on sea safety, cruising preparation and energy systems, including a session on hydrogen from Ecomar Propulsion. The MDL Green Innovator Award also made its return.

For anyone who missed it, the show is open daily from 10:00 to 18:00, with the Shipyard staying open until 21:00 on Fridays and Saturdays, and a 16:30 close on the final Sunday. Adult tickets start at £29, children aged 15 and under go free, and premium tickets run from £149, with essential companion tickets free of charge. There are no physical tickets — everything is an e-ticket on your phone. RYA members can get a single-day adult ticket for £20 instead of the £33 list price using a discount code from MyRYA, with a maximum of nine discounted tickets per order and a £1 transaction fee. Concessions cover NHS and emergency services staff, visitors aged 60 and over, students, serving and veteran military personnel, and residents of the SO14 to SO19 postcodes.

Getting there is straightforward: Mayflower Park sits at Town Quay, SO14 2AS, and shares the site with Ocean Village Marina, about 1.9km from Southampton Central station, where CrossCountry and South West Trains both call. Quayconnect and the U1C buses stop at Telephone House, the THREE bus at Friary House, and there are around 4,000 parking spaces nearby if you drive in via the A33.