The last serious week of the Mediterranean season, in a town that empties just before it
Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez is a regatta held once a year in the Gulf of Saint-Tropez, in the Var department of southern France. It is organised by the Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez and takes place at the end of September and the beginning of October — the 2026 edition runs from 26 September to 4 October.
The setting is the reason it exists. The Gulf of Saint-Tropez is a narrow body of water stretching north to Sainte-Maxime beneath the Massif des Maures, which gives the racing an amphitheatre and the town a grandstand. Saint-Tropez itself is a commune of fewer than four thousand residents, west of Nice and east of Marseille on the French Riviera, and for one week a year the harbour is given over almost entirely to the boats.
The regatta falls after the Mediterranean summer has ended. The heat has gone, the August crowds have gone with it, and the wind in the gulf is more reliable in early autumn than at any point in the season. Anyone who has tried to sail off this coast in August will understand why a serious regatta is scheduled for the first week of October rather than the middle of the year.
The town changes character accordingly. Saint-Tropez was a military stronghold and a fishing village until the beginning of the twentieth century, and became an internationally known resort only in the late 1950s and early 1960s, after the arrival of the French New Wave and the jet set that followed. In October, with the season over, a good deal of the older town becomes visible again — which is the main argument for coming then rather than in summer.
Tell us whether you want to race, to watch, or simply to be there and we will arrange the week accordingly
The gulf is compact and the racing runs close to land, so this is one of the regattas that can be followed properly without a boat. The headlands on either side of the bay give clear views of the course, and the harbour front provides the rest — boats come in and moor stern-to along the quay, and the entire fleet can be walked past in an hour.
A boat of your own changes the day rather than the view. Being on the water for the starts, and close enough to see the manoeuvring at the marks, is a different experience from watching the same fleet from a terrace. We arrange both, and for most clients the sensible answer is one day on the water and the rest of the week ashore.
Our sailing clients treat the year as a circuit rather than a set of separate trips. Saint-Tropez closes the Mediterranean season, Cowes Week opens August on the Solent, and the Sydney Hobart starts on Boxing Day at the other end of the world. Company hosting during the regatta runs through our Business Concierge team.
Saint-Tropez in early October is a different place from Saint-Tropez in August, and the difference is the whole argument for the trip. The summer population has left, the restaurants that matter are still open, and the town returns to something close to its own size — a small port with a citadel above it and a market square behind the harbour.
The peninsula rewards the extra days. The beaches to the south of the town are empty by October, the Massif des Maures behind the gulf is good walking and driving country, and the vineyards of the Var are into harvest. Most clients who come for the regatta end up staying several days longer than they planned, which is the correct response.
One caution: programmes, classes and schedules change from year to year, so we confirm the detail for the specific edition rather than assume it carries over.
At the end of September and the beginning of October. The 2026 edition ran from 26 September to 4 October.
In the gulf of Saint-Tropez, in the Var department of southern France.
The Société Nautique de Saint-Tropez, the town’s sailing club.
Yes. The gulf is narrow and the racing passes close to the headlands, so a boat is a pleasure rather than a requirement.
The wind is more reliable, the heat has gone, and the town is no longer at capacity.
Six months for a villa or a charter. Restaurants and boats can be arranged closer, but not much.
The Les Voiles de Saint Tropez dates are set for late September into early October, once the Societe Nautique confirms the racing programme.
The Voiles de Saint Tropez regatta brings together modern racing yachts and classic wooden vessels competing side by side across ten days.
Saint Tropez sailing week splits the fleet into separate classes, with modern boats racing the first week and the classics the second.
As a classic yacht regatta France highlight, the event draws pre-war and mid-century yachts rarely seen racing together anywhere else.
Saint Tropez October conditions typically bring steadier winds and quieter harbours than the height of summer.
The last week of the Mediterranean season, in the only harbour that still looks like a fishing port
