The Essential Guide To Cannes Film Festival 2026

Cannes Film Festival is now upon us, as filmmakers, actors, fashion houses and international media once again descend on the Côte d’Azur for the 79th edition of the festival. Founded in 1946, Cannes has evolved into far more than a film festival – there are premieres, standing ovations and Palme d’Or contenders alongside yacht parties, soirées and lavish dinners across the Riviera, as the Croisette becomes a near round-the-clock social scene.

We’ve already seen a stylish start to Cannes, with brands including Chopard, Kering, L’Oréal Paris, Campari, Mastercard, J.P. Morgan, BMW and Champagne Telmont all out in force across the opening days. Telmont, which has Leonardo DiCaprio among its investors, is back as the festival’s official Champagne partner, while L’Oréal Paris has brought new ambassador and F1 driver Carlos Sainz to the Croisette for opening night celebrations.

Laura Wenel in Dior at the Opening Ceremony And “La Vénus Electrique” (The Electric Venus) Screening at The 79th Annual Cannes Film Festival

What Is Cannes Film Festival?

Founded in 1946, Cannes Film Festival is considered the world’s most prestigious film festival, where the international film industry gathers each year at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès to premiere major films, compete for the Palme d’Or and celebrate global cinema.

Alongside the official screenings and competition programme, Cannes has also become one of the world’s biggest luxury and celebrity events, attracting fashion brands, jewellery houses, artists, and media from across the globe.

The Marché du Film, which runs alongside the festival, is also known as the world’s largest international film market, where studios, distributors and producers negotiate deals behind closed doors throughout this time.

What Happens During The Festival?

Think Cannes Film Festival and its premieres, press conferences and famous red carpet screenings outside the Palais des Festivals, where standing ovations are one of the festival’s most famous traditions.

Off the red carpet though, there’s plenty of glamour too as private terraces, hotel suites and beach clubs along the Croisette become hotspots for studios and brands, with late night dinners and after parties often found at Hotel Martinez, Carlton Cannes, and celeb haunt Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc.

The Most Anticipated Films This Year

This year’s Cannes line-up is already generating major buzz around Pedro Almodóvar’s Bitter Christmas, Ryūsuke Hamaguchi’s All of a Sudden and Nicolas Winding Refn’s Her Private Hell.

Almodóvar’s latest project is expected to be one of the festival’s biggest red carpet premieres following the success of The Room Next Door last year, with Hamaguchi arriving at Cannes after the international acclaim of Drive My Car. Nicolas Winding Refn’s Her Private Hell is also expected to draw significant attention throughout the festival. Plus, Cannes regular Demi Moore is back this year, this time as part of the 2026 jury.

BMW is the official car partner of Cannes Film Festival.

The Parties

There’s no shortage of revelries, as throughout the area becomes a stage for luxury brands, studios, and fashion houses to host private dinners, yacht events and beach parties. Of note is Chopard – the Maison which has crafted the Palme d’Or trophy since 1998 also hosts the annual Trophée Chopard dinner, which is one of the hottest tickets in town.

Nespresso, Kering, L’Oréal Paris and Campari all have things going on from host lounges and beach spaces to invitation-only events throughout Cannes; this year, Nespresso’s activity includes the return of its Nespresso x Brut gathering alongside the Nespresso Vertuo World Party, and French fragrance house MEMO is celebrating its most recent fragrance, Cap Camarat over an intimate lunch.

BMW returns as the festival’s official mobility partner for the fifth year, providing more than 150 electrified vehicles for filmmakers and guests, with the brand describing Cannes as one of the most significant events in the social and cultural calendar. As such, the marque is also unveiling the updated BMW 7 Series in Europe for the first time on La Croisette, alongside private gatherings at Plage des Palmes exploring cinema, craftsmanship and technology.

What To Wear

Cannes is a black tie affair, with sweeping haute couture gowns from houses including Dior and Louis Vuitton gracing the red carpet alongside major jewellery maisons such as Chopard and Chaumet. We’ve already seen Leïla Bekhti wearing a Chaumet archive diamond-set cuff bracelet dating from 1939 alongside High Jewellery Voltige Earrings for the premiere of La Venus Electrique.

We’ve also seen filmmaker Laura Wandel in a white Dior tulle gown, Ruth Negga in hammered green satin Dior Haute Couture and actor Paul Kircher in a black velvet Dior tuxedo on the opening night red carpet. French actor Pio Marmaï also wore custom Louis Vuitton for the Opening Ceremony.

Where & When

Cannes Film Festival 2026 takes place from 12–23 May 2026 at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès, 1 Boulevard de la Croisette, 06400 Cannes, France.

How To Get There

Nice Côte d’Azur Airport is the main arrival point for the festival and is approximately 45 minutes drive from Cannes (traffic dependent), and trains between Nice and Cannes typically take 40 minutes along the coast. With the influx of so many high profile guests, private transfers and helicopter arrivals are common during peak days.

Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc

Where To Stay Nearby

Hotel Martinez is synonymous with Cannes during the festival, and is one of the Riviera’s key social hubs alongside nearby Carlton Cannes following its extensive renovation.

Hôtel Barrière Le Majestic Cannes is just opposite the Palais des Festivals, while Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc famously hosts many of the festival’s private dinners and after-parties.

For those looking for a chic retreat, Cap Estel is a more secluded Riviera stay along the coastline between Nice and Monaco.