America's Cup 2027 in Naples: Shuttles from Bagnoli, Larger Screens and Village Across Villa Comunale

New large screens, an events area extending across the entire Villa Comunale and maritime connections between Bagnoli and Mergellina for race spectators. These are the updates announced for the America's Cup 2027, which will take place in Naples between next spring and summer, as reported by Il Mattino.

Leslie Ryan, event director of the event, spoke about them while drawing an initial assessment of the just-concluded pre-races: "We are satisfied with the success of the event," he said, emphasizing "the number of people who came to support the event and the way the venue functioned."

The Village in Villa Comunale

According to Ryan, the village on the Lungomare will not necessarily need to expand in size, but "could be deeper by embracing the entire villa comunale completely reopened." Given the summer season and scarcity of shaded areas, the idea is to position large screens and activities inside the park as well, to distribute the public and avoid overcrowding.

A Second Fan Village in Bagnoli

Beyond the village on the Lungomare, a fan village is planned in Bagnoli, where the public can see the boats up close and meet the teams. From here comes the mobility issue between the two areas of the city, defined by Ryan as "one of our great priorities."

The proposed solution is shuttle ferries between Mergellina and Bagnoli, running every 30 minutes, to allow spectators to attend the teams' morning dock-out show and then return to the city. Ryan cites Barcelona's experience as a model, where it was possible to buy a ticket to take larger boats out to sea and follow the races up close.

More Information for the Public

Among the aspects to improve, the event director points to the need for more informational content on the Lungomare: data on wind, speed and direction, as well as materials to acquaint the public with teams, sailors and the technology of boats that fly over water.

On the number of spectators expected in 2027, Ryan is cautious: with races spread over approximately 60 days, he anticipates growing attendance toward the Louis Vuitton Cup and America's Cup finals. The number of crew members will also increase: the teams, which next year will average between 100 and 150 people each, will be hosted at bases in Bagnoli alongside families, sponsors and fans.