Southampton Boat Show 2026: stay at Sandy Point, Hayling Island

The Southampton International Boat Show returns 18–27 September 2026 for ten days at Mayflower Park on the Southampton waterfront. If you are buying, browsing, or supporting someone who is, the practical question is usually where the rest of the group sleeps without turning every day into a hotel commute.

Wittering Sands is an exclusive-use house at Sandy Point, Hayling Island, about half an hour’s drive east of the show. This guide covers how a Boat Show stay from our front door actually works.

When is Southampton Boat Show 2026?

Official dates are Friday 18 September to Sunday 27 September 2026. The show is open daily from 10am (typically until 6pm, with later openings at the Shipyard on some evenings, and an earlier close on the final Sunday). Always confirm times and tickets on southamptonboatshow.com before you travel.

Why stay on Hayling Island rather than in Southampton?

Central Southampton fills fast during the show. Hayling gives you a quieter base with sea and harbour on the doorstep, off-road parking, and a real kitchen for early starts and late returns. From Sandy Point you are still close enough for a full show day without living in a city hotel.

The house sits a few minutes’ walk from Hayling Island Sailing Club, so a mixed group can split: some at the Boat Show, others on the water or the shoreline.

How long is the drive to Mayflower Park?

In free-flowing traffic the drive from Sandy Point to the Southampton waterfront is usually around 30–45 minutes via the A27 and M27. Show days add traffic around the city and the park-and-ride approaches, so leave earlier than the map suggests, especially on opening weekend and Saturdays.

There is off-road parking for four cars at the house. If you are bringing a trailer or a roof rack as well as cars, say so when you book so we can confirm space.

What makes a whole-house let better for a Boat Show group?

• Room for a crew. Four bedrooms and five beds sleep up to nine on an exclusive-use basis, so a family or friends group is not split across rooms.
• Kit and drying space. Wet jackets, boots and bags need somewhere that is not a hotel bathroom. There is outdoor space and a boot brush by the back door.
• A real kitchen. Breakfast before a 10am show open, and a proper supper after a long day, without restaurant queues.
• Dogs welcome. Kept off beds and sofas — useful if one person stays behind for walks while others go to the show.

What else is there when you are not at the show?

Plenty within a short walk or drive: the Sandy Point shoreline and lagoon, Eastoke beaches, the Hayling Billy Coastal Path, and Chichester Harbour. Our beaches guide and Around Hayling cover the honest local options. For travel from London, see London to Hayling Island.

How do you book?

Check your dates on the direct booking calendar. Nightly rates typically fall between £750 and £1,850 depending on season and length of stay; the live calendar shows what is open for your nights. Minimum stay is usually two to three nights. If your group is large, has dogs, or needs more than one car, get in touch and we can talk it through.

Show hours, tickets and traffic change year to year — please confirm on the official Boat Show site and on our live calendar before you travel.