This is an unmissable event for all water sports enthusiasts. Discover the latest innovations, escape, dream, plan your next getaway by the water… The boat show is a meeting place for industry players and enthusiasts. Since 1926, the show has adapted to the times and illustrates the incredible development of the sector.
In 1926, Parisians flocked to Quai Albert 1er, at the foot of the Eiffel Tower and the Grand Palais. It was the first boat show organised in the capital. It was initiated by a French industrialist, Lucien Rosengart, founder of a car brand and inventor of many things. He was behind the invention of windscreen wipers, bicycle lights and the first outboard motor. Passionate about mechanics, he created this event at a time when motorboats, known as ‘motorised canoes’, were much more popular than sailing boats. There were speed record attempts on the Seine and emerging activities such as surf riding (the precursor to water skiing).
A new dimension at La Défense
This iconic event was born on the banks of the Seine and quickly found its stride, attracting nearly 300,000 visitors during the first two weeks of October in 1961. Among the visitors were several presidents (Paul Doumer, Raymond Poincaré) as well as foreign dignitaries such as King Alfonso XII of Spain. Despite its popularity, the show was contested by certain manufacturers and boaters who were angry with the organisers. They launched a new union – the National Union of Manufacturers and Dealers in Recreational Boating Equipment – One of their major decisions was to launch a new trade fair. The first edition was held in January 1962 in the most modern building in Paris, the CNIT*, the huge reinforced concrete vault that was the first building in the La Défense district.
Covering 23,000 m², 300 boats are on display, half of which are made of plastic, a material that is becoming increasingly popular with manufacturers. Three years after the first edition at the CNIT, a photo goes down in history: the handshake between General de Gaulle and Éric Tabarly, fresh from his victory in the Transat Anglaise. In 1984, François Mitterrand visited the venue at a time when catamarans and windsurfing were gaining popularity. At the time, French shipyards were world leaders, as demonstrated by the results of two of their flagship companies, Bénéteau and Jeanneau. In 1987, 92 new motorboats were presented! Visitors could also enjoy a unique experience: that same year, thanks to a connection established with Guadeloupe, they were able to attend the world funboard championships. An article in Le Monde concluded: ‘And as always, visitors will take off their shoes to enter these mosques of the sea, the tall ships whose masts scrape the roof of the CNIT.’
At Porte de Versailles, ever larger
A year later, the event moved to Porte de Versailles, much to the delight of professionals. They now have an additional 30,000 m² of space, illustrating a sector that continues to thrive. The major Parisian event welcomes more and more people every year, with up to 300,000 visitors per edition. Above all, the fact that it takes place at the end of the year benefits everyone: manufacturers sign sales initiated during the season and can launch construction projects immediately afterwards, industry players plan for the following year, and curious visitors start thinking about their next summer. Every year, the show is an incredible logistical challenge, with hundreds of boats arriving in special convoys that cross the capital at night before being installed in the exhibition halls.
In offshore racing, the Show is also an opportunity to honour the winners of the transatlantic races held in the autumn and to reveal the routes and challenges of upcoming events. The show also offers visitors the chance to try their hand at certain water sports, either in the pools set up for this purpose or on the Seine. In 2010, the first edition of the Nautic Paddle took place. Gradually, this race has become the largest in the world. In 2021, 1,000 participants paddled along the Seine in the middle of winter.
Then, the spread of Covid-19 forced the organisers to cancel the 2023 edition, while the 2024 edition, planned for the autumn, also did not take place. Now, a new era is dawning at Le Bourget with the Paris Nautic Show. The show will be held at the end of November and will bring together all sectors of the recreational boating industry. Jean-Paul Chapeleau, its president, describes an event that is being built ‘with and for the industry, with the aim of enabling it to grow, innovate and shine’. It is also a way of continuing the incredible history of an event so dear to all boating enthusiasts.
