economie

The billionaire’s social calendar: The must-attend events for the world’s wealthiest business icons

August 31, 20240
The Hercules Port in Monaco, where superyachts gather for the annual Monaco yacht show.

VALERY HACHE/AFP via Getty Images

There are yachts, and then there are the superyachts — and those are aplenty at the Monaco Yacht Show in Monte Carlo, where billionaires gather at the end of the summer to scope out their new toys. (There are also, technically, megayachts, but for plebeian purposes, they are one and the same.)

The 100-plus boats on display have an average length of 165 feet, and feature elevators, bars, spas, pools, gyms, hot tubs, and helipads — sometimes more than one. Jet skis and submersibles are popular add-ons.

In the past, yachts owned by billionaires like Paul Allen, Steve Wynn, and Pier Luigi Loro Piana have been exhibited at the show — with some available for sale or to charter. The event also used to be a favorite of opulent Russian oligarchs, though sanctions have prevented them from attending for the past couple of years.

This year’s show includes the 73-meter yacht Planet Nine, which was featured in Christopher Nolan’s “Tenet” and is on sale for nearly $86 million. Making her debut is Kismet, the yacht owned by the billionaire Shahid Khan, the owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars. She is available to charter for a starting price of $3.36 million a week.

If you’re looking to peruse boats that you can’t afford — or maybe meet a billionaire who will invite you on theirs — you’re in luck: The Monaco Yacht Show is open to the public for the small price of 600 Euros, or $640, a day.

October: The Frieze Art Fair
The Frieze Art Fair is one of the premier art events for wealthy collectors.

Tolga Akmen/Getty Images

The Frieze Art Fair, held annually in London, draws the rich — and the staff of the rich — from around the world looking to add very expensive contemporary art to their collections. (For those who prefer pre 21st century art, there’s the nearby Frieze Masters.)

In years past, collectors like owned by the likes of David Geffen, Barry Diller and Diane von Furstenberg, and Bernard Arnault for year-end festivities.

Unfortunately for the poor rich, one of the most infamous St. Barts New Year’s parties will be canceled this year. Roman Abramovich — the former Chelsea FC owner, sanctioned Russian billionaire, and unlikely hero of St. Barts — will not be hosting his multi-million dollar extravaganza, which has featured performances from Prince and Beyoncé; millions worth of food and alcohol; and guests like Orlando Bloom and Rupert Murdoch.

Guess they’ll have to buy tickets to Nikki Beach’s party like the rest of us.