Cannes Film Festival Hit by Power Outage Amid Final Day Events

A massive power outage in Cannes, affecting thousands, raises concerns over infrastructure safety as festival events go on.

A significant power outage rocked the city of Cannes and nearby areas on the final day of the renowned Cannes Film Festival, causing significant disruption to planned screenings. The outage, which impacted approximately 160,000 homes in southeastern France, was reported by the country's electricity operator, RTE. Early investigations by the police suggest that the outage may have stemmed from a potential arson incident targeting a local substation.

Despite the setback, festival organizers assured attendees that the closing ceremony would proceed as scheduled, thanks to backup power systems in place. Although power restoration was achieved around 15:00 local time (11:00 GMT), the ramifications of the outage were felt throughout Cannes, with local businesses struggling to manage without electricity. One restaurant owner, Laurent Aboukrat, lamented the impact on his operations, stating, “Another hour and I’ll throw everything away,” referring to the spoilage of food in his unrefrigerated fridge, which had been powerless since the morning.

"There's no coffee anywhere, and I think the town has run out of croissants," lamented Australian producer Darren Vukasinovic to Reuters, emphasizing the dire situation for local cafés and eateries. The festival's closing ceremony, set to unveil the coveted Palme d'Or winner, saw interruptions to several morning screenings before organizers successfully switched over to their private generators.

As the event draws to a close, all eyes are on the jury led by French actress Juliette Binoche, who is prepared to announce this year's top film award.