America's Cup: Vision for the Naples venue unveiled at Genoa Int Boat Show
by America's Cup Media 21 Sep 02:30 NZST
Naples Fanzone - Louis Vuitton America's Cup Venue - Naples - September 2025 © America's Cup Media
Presenting before an engaged audience at the 65th International Boat Show in Genoa on Saturday 20th September, Grant Dalton, CEO of The Defender, Emirates Team New Zealand, together with representatives from Sport e Salute, the publicly-owned Italian company responsible for promoting sports and a healthy lifestyle across the nation, unveiled the vision for the Louis Vuitton 38th America’s Cup in Naples in 2027.
The video presentation showcased the scale of the ambition for holding the America’s Cup regatta in the historic City of Naples and the bold, ambitious re-generation of the Bagnoli waterfront which will house all of the America’s Cup teams in close proximity. Bagnoli, the western seaside quarter of Naples is set for a remarkable transformation that will convert this former industrial area into the epicentre of the action for the Louis Vuitton 38th America’s Cup.
A slick animation showed the transformation with not only a world-class technical facility for the AC75 yachts and a dedicated Women & Youth base for the AC40 yachts to launch from, but also a new superyacht marina, public viewing areas, state-of-the-art media and broadcast centres, a volunteer facility plus the headquarters of the America’s Cup Event (ACE) organisers.
The Bagnoli area will also feature an AC Tech Fan Village with interactive areas, large jumbotron screens to watch the racing and pre-event feature shows, plus a wealth of gastronomy and retail options. The Bagnoli Marina and Superyacht Facility will be protected by an extended stone breakwater and is a short distance from the dedicated race course set before the Bay of Naples for maximum fan engagement.
Also unveiled were the plans for the America’s Cup Race Village which will be positioned along the extensive seafront of downtown Naples, showing just how big the Louis Vuitton 38th America’s Cup is expected to be with the event organisers anticipating a fan engagement level unseen before in the 174-year history of the competition.
The stunning ribbon of road that stretches around the waterfront, the Viale Francesco Caracciolo, will be transformed into the ultimate Race Village, making use of all the promontories and unique features of the area to create grandstand viewing opportunities, whilst housing the Official Main Stage for sailor and trophy presentations.
Partner exhibits and activations, shops, gastronomy, bars and fan engagement concessions will operate all throughout the Race Village, enhancing and activating the unique atmosphere of an America’s Cup three month long ‘show’ in 2027 in Italy. VIP Hospitality experiences will be developed over the coming months offering on land and on water packages.
When the America’s Cup World Series came to Naples in 2012 and 2013 for two pre-regattas ahead of the 34th America’s Cup that was held in San Francisco, it was estimated that some one million people witnessed the racing at each regatta. For the Louis Vuitton 38th America’s Cup, those numbers are expected to be far exceeded as Cup-fever sweeps through not only the beautiful City of Naples but Italy-wide and internationally.
Naples is getting ready to welcome the world in 2027 by creating the ultimate fan experience and delivering for the competing teams not only in the Louis Vuitton 38th America’s Cup but also the Women’s & Youth America’s Cup regattas. The summer of 2027 promises to be a must-see event on the global sailing calendar, on a racecourse in the Bay of Naples described as “perfection” by Grant Dalton, CEO of Emirates Team New Zealand.