Sardinia's southern capital is set to host the opening act of the Louis Vuitton 38th America's Cup, with a Preliminary Regatta taking place on Cagliari's Bay of Angels as part of the Road to Naples. Forecasters are promising champagne conditions, and should the anticipated sea breeze arrive, spectators along the waterfront can look forward to something special from the AC40, the world's most thrilling fleet-racing class.
The social and commercial heart of the event is the Race Village, located along the Via Roma in central Cagliari and free to enter, with gates opening at 12pm. At least five of the AC40 yachts will be berthed right alongside, giving fans a close-up look at these machines before racing begins. At 1pm, hosts Rachele Vitello and Jesse Tuke launch a pre-race show in both Italian and English, introducing the sailors to the gathered crowd. At 1.30pm, the live dock-out show gets under way from the pontoon, with crews making their final preparations before boarding the AC40s.
Once the fleet heads out onto the water, the Race Village keeps fans connected to the action. Large screens positioned throughout the venue carry all the on-water coverage, the Official America's Cup store stocks a wide range of team merchandise, and several Food Courts are on hand. Between 2pm and 2.30pm, in the window just before racing begins, local musical acts perform to warm up the crowd.
Those who prefer to watch the competition from the water's edge rather than on a screen should head to the FanZone Lazzaretto, situated to the east of the Race Village.
On each of the three race days, 22, 23, and 24 May, all competing teams will perform high-speed fly-bys close to shore at 2.15pm, passing one by one before the crowd. Italy's Luna Rossa is widely expected to draw the loudest cheers from the home nation.
From the opening day of competition on Friday 22 May, the FIV Foil Academy will run sessions at the FanZone Lazzaretto for both seasoned foiling enthusiasts and first-timers. Operating from 10am to 3pm and again from 5pm to 8pm around the scheduled race windows, the academy features a static exhibition of foil platforms and equipment, guided interaction sessions for visitors, schools, and guests, and live demonstration sailing on the Waszp, WingFoil, Switch, and BirdyFish foiling platforms.
During the 3pm to 5pm race windows each day, fans at the FanZone Lazzaretto can watch the fleet compete on the water directly in front of them, or follow broadcast commentary on the big screens along the foreshore. With the weekend forecast looking ideal, the walk to the FanZone is well worth making.
Once racing concludes each afternoon, the focus shifts back to the Race Village Main Stage for the Dock-In show, where sailors from every team come ashore for interviews in front of the crowd. After the show wraps up, competitors will be available for autographs and poster signings.
Local artists take over the Main Stage from 6.30pm to 8pm to round out the evening's entertainment, before both the Race Village and the FanZone Lazzaretto close for the night. Sardinia is ready to welcome the world for the opening chapter of the Louis Vuitton 38th America's Cup, and across all three days there is something on offer for every kind of fan.
