Monaco has always staged its yacht show as theatre on water. This September, Port Hercule again filled with gleaming hulls, but the 2025 edition offered something subtler than raw superlatives. The atmosphere suggested a shift: owners, designers, and shipyards are moving from solely chasing records to grappling with the real future of yachting.
An Impressive Fleet, With A Stronger Message
This counts for this year’s fleet tallied up to over 115 superyachts. The combined value remained staggering, more than €4 billion and the show floor buzzed with debuts, some counts going as high as eighty. The headliner changed mid-week when Feadship’s much-anticipated hydrogen demonstrator Breakthrough withdrew. That left the 107-metre Mar to claim the title of largest yacht in the harbour, a dramatic reshuffling that underscored the market’s dynamism.
From Buzzwords to Benchmarks
Sustainability has long been part of the Monaco marketing script, but in 2025 it turned into something measurable. The launch of the Blue Wake™ programme, with its first set of sustainability awards, signalled that the industry is ready to be judged on criteria beyond aesthetics. Yards such as Sanlorenzo, Deasyl, and Silver Yachts walked away with recognition for genuine engineering advances, from low-impact propulsion to energy-saving building methods.
Conferences and summit sessions echoed this pragmatism. Talks about AI-guided routing, battery and methanol storage, and certifiable hybrid packages replaced vague promises of “green yachts.” For many visitors, it was the first time the future felt less like a design sketch and more like a buildable spec sheet.
Yachts That Stole the Spotlight
If the message was substance over spectacle, a handful of yachts still drew crowds for their design bravado or unusual pedigree:
Mar (107 m, Benetti)
After the late withdrawal of Breakthrough, Mar stood as the largest confirmed yacht in attendance at Monaco 2025. It features a heated infinity pool on the sundeck, wellness and spa facilities, a helipad, and generous interior volume with large ceiling heights.
Valor (79.5 m, Feadship)
This newly launched explorer-style yacht was slated for display at Monaco 2025. It is equipped with a “Young Ice 2” ice belt and systems designed for high-latitude operation, marking a clear signal that expedition capability is entering mainstream superyacht design.
Admiral 78M
The 78 m yacht from Admiral (The Italian Sea Group) received coverage as one of the largest new builds present at the show. It is described as using a lithium-polymer battery system that permits silent anchoring and no emissions.
Luna (90 m, Oceanco) & Here Comes the Sun (89 m, Amels)
Both are listed among the largest yachts attending Monaco 2025. Luna, with its distinctive dark-glass profile, has appeared in previous editions and retains strong visual presence. Here Comes the Sun had a comprehensive refit in 2021, including a stern extension and updates to its interior, making it a compelling case of reinvention.
Nero (90.1 m, Corsair Yachts)
Though less futurist in profile, Nero made waves by combining classic lines with modern refit touches. It was also named among the largest attending yachts, offering a counterpoint to the “all new is best” narrative.
And in the realm of ideas:
Outlier I (Foster + Partners / Lateral). While not a confirmed “yacht at dock,” the Outlier I concept was publicly unveiled and linked to Monaco design discourse. The concept proposes relocating the engine room toward the bow so as to free midship volume and create triple-height interior spaces, offering about 40 % more deck area vs. standard comparables. A scale model was being shown during Monaco Yacht Week / design showcases.
Ballooning Beyond the Docks
Monaco knows how to put on a show, and this year’s most Instagrammed moment didn’t float but flew: a crimson hot-air balloon rising over Port Hercule, drifting above the Place du Palais. It was an improbable but effective symbol of the Principality’s taste for spectacle, a reminder that the show is as much about atmosphere as hardware.
Meanwhile, the Yacht Design & Innovation Hub expanded its immersive exhibits, using AI-aided workflows and interactive digital walls to demonstrate how the next generation of yachts will be conceived. Visitors moved from engine rooms of the future to balloon flights above Monaco, an almost literal survey of where the industry stands and where it might soar.
A Show in Transition
The 2025 Monaco Yacht Show moved decisively toward accountability and innovation. Sustainability was no longer a talking point, it was scored, awarded, and displayed in practice. Explorer yachts, refits, and architectural experiments replaced the arms race of “biggest ever.”
In that sense, the hot-air balloon was a fitting metaphor. The industry isn’t inflating for the sake of height; it is learning to rise with intent, harnessing new currents and exploring new horizons.
