If you’re a fancy fellow or lavish lady of leisure then a visit to the Southampton Boat Show is a must.
The show opens on 15th September and closes on 24th September. Between those two days all manner of luxury boats will be descending on Southampton. With plenty on show including a mini-cruise, the chance to buy Alan Sugar’s private yacht, and celebrity guests, you might feel a little overwhelmed.
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If that’s you, fear not. We’ve scoured the web to deliver all the information you need to know about this year’s show. We’ve collated it in a handy guide below:
Southampton Boat Show 2017
When is it on?
The show opens on the 15th September and closes on the 24th September. The show’s opening times are between 10am and 6.30pm every day except Sunday 24th when it closes at 6pm. If you’re going to the arena, gates will open at 9.30am.
Where is it?
The Southampton Boat Show will take place at Mayflower Park, Town Quay, Southampton. If you’re travelling by car you can use the postcode SO14 2AQ to find it with your sat nav.
How much does it cost?
The prices vary depending on what day you’re going. If you choose to attend the public preview day (15th September) you’ll pay a little extra. You can also save a bit of money by buying tickets in advance rather than just showing up on the day. Here’s how much it’ll cost you in a handy table.
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By GlobalData| Preview Day Advance Ticket | Preview Day On The Gate Ticket | Standard Day Advance Ticket | Standard Day On The Gate Ticket | |
| Adult | £20.00 | £27.00 | £15.00 | £22.00 |
| Adult with glass of champagne on arrival | £31.40 | N/A | £26.40 | N/A |
| Child (under 15) – up to two | Free | Free | Free | Free |
| Additional child | £15.00 | £20.00 | £12.00 | £17.00 |
| Student (with valid NUS card) | N/A | N/A | N/A | £17.00 |
| Disabled | £15.00 | £20.00 | £12.00 | £17.00 |
| Senior Citizen Residents (postcodes SO14 – SO19) | N/A | N/A | N/A | Free |
| Group (10+) | £17.00 | £24 | £13.00 | £20.00 |
| Late Entry (after 3pm) | £10.00 | £10.00 | £10.00 | £10.00 |
| Showguide | £5.00 | £6.00 | £5.00 | £6.00 |
You can purchase tickets from the official website here.
In addition, there are also special experiences you can pay a premium for. They are as follows:
Global Challenge Sailing Experience: Enjoy a 90 minute trip as part of a 12-person offshore race yacht crew aboard the Global Challenge Sailing yacht. You’ll be guided by the professional crew, but you’ll get to sail the yacht by yourself. All equipment (aside from waterproofs) will be available to use! Tickets cost £60.00 and that includes entry to the boat show itself.
Platinum Experience Package: This really is one for fancy folks. You’ll get treated like a VIP with a one-hour on-water tour on a Sunseeker Predator 56 motor yacht. In addition, you’ll get access to the private lounge and bar, as well as the ‘posh loos’, a glass of Prosecco on arrival, delicious food throughout the day, free Wi-Fi, a VIP badge, and a hostess service. Tickets for that experience cost £135.00 but that includes a ticket to the festival and a free show guide as well.
Admiral’s Club Package: If the Platinum Experience sounds good but you’re not bothered about a Sunseeker tour, this is the one for you. You’ll get all of the above, without the tour with the Admiral’s Club package. Tickets are only £75.00 so you could save yourself a tonne of money.
What else can you see and do?
Lots and lots. In addition to all the boats and nautical equipment that you can find, there’s plenty going on.
For a start, there’s the celebrity guests. Opening the show is Millie Mackintosh who’ll be around all day on 15th September. Additionally, on 16th September, CBeebies presenter Gemma Hunt will be hosting a special song and dance show for the kids with meet-and-greets and autograph signings afterwards. However, that’s not all. Some celebrity guests are still yet to be confirmed, so who knows who you might run into.
Speaking of kids, there’s plenty for them to do. There’s bumper boats (think dodgems on water), adventure canoes (canoes on a track), and the chance to try dinghy sailing, stand up paddleboarding and for the first time at the Show, bellboating with GET AFLOAT.
There’s also a free 20-minute mini-cruise from Cruise Southampton. You can see the show from a different angle on the cruise ship.
In addition, you can visit the tall ship Kaskelot, one of the last wooden sailing ships still in operation. The ship looks like a real pirate ship and has appeared recently on BBC One’s Poldark. Once aboard, there’ll be a chance to learn about the history of these ships and how they work.
Two music stages will also be on show. There’ll be top quality tribute acts including a Michael Bublé tribute and a Frank Sinatra tribute. You’ll also be able to enjoy the vocal stylings of the Marchwood Military Wives choir.
Finally, the show’s signature attraction, the free Try-A-Boat is back. You and your family can try out one of the boats before you think about purchasing. There’s tonnes of boats to choose from so there really is something for everyone.
