The Cannes Film Festival is one of the world’s most prestigious film events and an unforgettable spectacle for visitors, whether you work in the industry or are simply a movie lover drawn by the red carpet glamour on the French Riviera.

Planning a trip around the festival means understanding not only the official dates, but also how accreditation works, what is accessible to the public, and what kind of experience you can realistically expect on the Croisette.

This guide brings together the latest information on dates, key events, access rules, and practical tips so you can make the most of a visit during festival time.

Key Dates and How the Festival Is Structured

The Cannes Film Festival takes place every May in the seaside city of Cannes on the Côte d’Azur. The most recent completed edition was the 78th Festival, held from May 13 to May 24, 2025, with screenings, press conferences, and red carpet premieres unfolding daily in and around the Palais des Festivals.

The 79th edition has already been announced and will run from May 12 to May 23, 2026, continuing the tradition of an 11-day event focused on the Official Selection and its associated sections.

During these dates, Cannes hosts two overlapping worlds. One is the Official Festival, which includes the main Competition, Un Certain Regard, Out of Competition premieres, Midnight Screenings, Special Screenings, and short film selections.

Parallel sections such as Directors’ Fortnight, Critics’ Week, ACID, and Cannes Cinéma operate alongside this core program, offering additional discoveries for cinephiles. The second world is the Marché du Film, the industry market that runs concurrently over roughly the same period, hosting buyers, producers, and distributors in a professional environment.

Visitors should understand that not everything at Cannes is accessible in the same way. Screenings in the Grand Théâtre Lumière and other official venues are primarily intended for accredited professionals, artists, and press, while free outdoor screenings and occasional public initiatives open the festival atmosphere to the wider public.

The city also transforms beyond the theaters, with branded beach clubs, national pavilions, pop-up events, and industry parties creating a lively backdrop along the Croisette.

When planning a trip, allow at least three to four days during the festival period if you want to experience more than a single red carpet evening. The schedule is intense, with early morning press screenings, daytime market activity, afternoon photocalls, and high-profile evening premieres. Even without accreditation, simply observing this daily rhythm from the promenade offers a rare window into how a major film festival operates.

Getting In: Accreditation, Badges, and Tickets

Access at Cannes is governed above all by accreditation. The core Festival badge is reserved for professionals who work in film, TV, streaming, festivals, distribution, or related cultural institutions.

Industry attendees typically apply months in advance through the Festival’s online portal, indicating their professional activity and category. Approval grants them an official badge, which is essential for entering secure festival zones, accessing many screenings, and using the online ticketing system for the Official Selection and parallel sections.

Running alongside this is the Marché du Film, one of the world’s most important film markets. A Marché badge is open to professionals with a current role in the audiovisual industry and includes all the benefits of a Festival badge plus access to market-specific events, booths, and screenings.

Registration is handled through the Marché website and usually opens early in the year before the festival. For 2026, for example, Marché registration is set to open on February 2, with several badge tiers, including an online-only option for remote participants.

Professionals who only need brief access can purchase a daily badge on site in Cannes, usually during the festival period. These passes, sold for a limited number of days and subject to an environmental contribution, allow entry into areas such as the Palais des Festivals, the Village, the Pantiero, and the Riviera zone dedicated to the Marché.

However, daily badges do not include access to screenings, which can come as a surprise to first-timers who assume that any badge guarantees theater entry.

Tickets for screenings are managed separately from accreditation. Accredited participants use an online ticket office, logging in with the same account used for accreditation. Tickets for a given screening typically become available between four days and one hour before showtime, with different priority windows depending on one’s accreditation category.

New seats are released each morning within designated slots, and everyone connected at that time is placed into a virtual waiting room before a random draw determines access. This system aims to keep the process equitable and has allowed the vast majority of badge holders to obtain at least some tickets for Official Selection films.

What Non-Professionals and Tourists Can Actually See

Despite its reputation as a closed professional event, Cannes is far from off limits to ordinary visitors. The catch is that you need to know where the open doors are. The most accessible entry point for the general public is the Cinéma de la Plage, the open-air beach cinema set up on the Macé beach near the Palais des Festivals.

Here, the festival hosts nightly screenings that are free and open to everyone, subject to capacity. The program often includes classics from the festival’s history, restored prints, cult titles, and occasionally high-profile films tied to the current edition.

For certain parallel sections and associated events, local residents and visitors can sometimes secure tickets through city-run outlets or cultural organizations. Cannes Cinéphiles, for example, is a program intended for film lovers, students, and film clubs, providing access to selected screenings across the city.

These opportunities have their own application windows and quotas, so film enthusiasts who plan ahead may find ways into cinemas even without industry credentials.

Another path for engaged visitors is to participate through national or thematic pavilions that sometimes welcome a broader community. The American Pavilion, for instance, runs hospitality and educational programs that bring students, aspiring filmmakers, and film lovers to Cannes through curated offerings that combine panels, networking sessions, and screenings.

Similar initiatives exist from other countries and organizations, each with its own eligibility criteria and costs, but they can function as structured gateways into the festival environment.

Finally, even if you do not set foot in a single screening room, Cannes during the festival is a spectacle in itself. You can stroll the Croisette and watch as casts arrive for premieres, observe photo calls from a distance, and soak up the energy around the Palais and its famous red steps.

Many visitors time their evenings around major premieres, positioning themselves behind the barriers that line the red carpet to glimpse actors as they pose for photographers and climb the stairs under the cameras’ flash.

Red Carpet Rules, Dress Codes, and Security

The red carpet at Cannes has its own strict etiquette, which has tightened in recent years. For evening screenings at the Grand Théâtre Lumière in particular, formal dress is the norm.

Men are expected to wear tuxedos or dark suits with bow ties or ties, while women are advised to choose long evening gowns, cocktail dresses, or elegant dark-colored pantsuits, often paired with dressy shoes or refined sandals.

Recent clarifications from festival organizers specifically prohibit sneakers in these formal slots and emphasize that footwear, while no longer restricted solely to high heels, must still appear appropriate for a gala event.

In 2025, the festival moved to explicitly ban nudity on the red carpet and in festival areas, codifying what had previously been an unwritten expectation. Sheer or overly revealing outfits that read as “naked dressing” are now officially discouraged, as are extremely voluminous gowns with exaggerated trains.

Organizers cite reasons of decency, public order, and logistics, arguing that such outfits complicate security procedures, slow down arrivals, and create seating challenges inside the theaters.

The move has sparked debate among stylists and fashion commentators, but for visitors the practical message is clear: Cannes expects polished, relatively conservative evening wear during its prime events.

Security throughout the festival zone is comprehensive. The festival perimeter, encompassing the Palais, the Riviera, the International Village, and the pathway to the Cinéma de la Plage, is controlled by checkpoints where badges are scanned and bags can be searched.

Only accredited attendees and certain authorized guests are allowed inside this zone during the core festival period, which in 2026 will run from May 12 to May 23. Opening hours are generous, typically from mid-morning until after midnight, but you should plan extra time for security queues before key screenings or high-profile premieres.

Inside, ushers and security staff enforce not only dress codes for gala events but also rules on photography, filming, and decorum. The long-standing selfie ban on the red carpet remains in effect, and attendees are expected to move briskly up the steps to avoid delays in the tightly scheduled queue of arrivals.

For visitors who manage to secure gala tickets, part of the Cannes experience is adapting to these rituals. A well-fitted suit or gown, a respect for the protocols, and an awareness that you are stepping into a highly choreographed global stage will help you feel at ease.

The Marché du Film and Industry Life Behind the Scenes

While the red carpet draws the cameras, the Marché du Film is where the global film business quietly hums along. Hosted largely in the basement of the Palais, the Riviera halls, and along the surrounding harbor and hotels, the Marché gathers producers, sales agents, distributors, financiers, and festival programmers for 10 days of intense deal-making.

Visitors who hold Marché badges will find booths representing countries, regions, and companies, meeting rooms filled with negotiations, and screening schedules that run from early morning until late night.

Registration for the Marché is handled separately from general festival accreditation, but the badges integrate seamlessly with the festival’s ticketing and access systems. A standard Marché badge grants entry to both market and festival spaces, and gives holders a better chance of securing tickets for select festival screenings compared with some other categories.

Several tiers exist, including an online-only option that allows professionals who cannot travel to Cannes to access virtual screenings, conferences, and networking tools, reflecting the hybrid model that has become more common since the pandemic era.

For professionals visiting for just a few meetings, daily Marché badges and daily festival passes are available on site during the festival, purchased directly at the registration office near the Palais. These day passes are particularly useful for executives who fly in for 24 to 48 hours to close a specific deal or join a strategic presentation.

However, visitors should be aware of their limitations. Daily badges for the festival itself do not grant access to screenings, and day passes for the market may come without certain networking privileges tied to full registration packages.

The market side of Cannes is less visible to casual tourists, but you can sense its presence everywhere. Hotel lobbies are filled with poster stands advertising upcoming projects, terraces host press junkets and launch parties, and yachts moored in the harbor double as branded meeting spaces.

Even if you are not part of the industry, strolling along the quay or passing through the international pavilions will give you an idea of how global and interconnected contemporary cinema has become.

Experiencing Cannes Beyond the Palais

Cannes during festival time is more than screenings and industry talk. The entire city shifts into festival mode, and visitors can enjoy a wide range of experiences without ever swiping a badge.

The Croisette, a seafront boulevard lined with palm trees and luxury hotels, becomes the city’s catwalk. Branded beach clubs set up temporary decks with lounge chairs and DJ sets, often hosting daytime talks, cocktail receptions, and private events tied to film premieres or luxury sponsors.

While many of these events are invitation-only, the atmosphere spills onto the public promenade, where you can people-watch and glimpse the glittering social life of the festival.

In the evenings, the Cinéma de la Plage serves as the city’s open-air living room. Arrive early to claim a deckchair or a spot on the sand, and watch as a large crowd of locals, families, and visiting film fans settles in for the night’s screening. Introductions by filmmakers or festival representatives add a special feel to these sessions and connect the beach screenings to the broader Official Selection.

For many tourists, these free screenings are the emotional highlight of a Cannes visit, delivering the magic of the festival minus the formality of the Palais.

During the day, visitors can explore Cannes’ older quarters, including the hillside Suquet district, which offers panoramic views of the bay and the festival hub below. The city’s markets, cafes, and smaller cinemas quietly continue their normal life in parallel with the festival frenzy.

This contrast between everyday Riviera charm and high-voltage glamour is part of what makes visiting during festival season so compelling. You can spend the morning wandering narrow streets and the afternoon watching limousines pull up in front of the Carlton or the Majestic.

If you are intent on celebrity spotting, position yourself near hotel entrances or along the Croisette in the late afternoon, when many stars head to photocalls or return from promotional events. Security barriers will keep you at a respectful distance, but determined fans often walk away with autographs or quick selfies outside the official red carpet area.

Remember that security staff are under pressure, so comply with their instructions and accept that sometimes the closest view you will get is via the large screens around the Palais that broadcast arrivals and photocalls in real time.

Planning Your Trip: Practicalities, Costs, and Strategy

Because the Cannes Film Festival is a magnet for industry professionals, journalists, and celebrities, practical planning is as important as understanding the program. Accommodation is the first challenge. Hotels on or near the Croisette are routinely booked far in advance by film companies, delegations, and media outlets, and nightly rates increase significantly during festival dates.

Visitors on a budget often look to nearby towns such as Antibes, Juan-les-Pins, or even Nice and Mandelieu, using the regional train system to commute in and out of Cannes each day.

Transport infrastructure in the region is well developed, but you should still build in buffer time. The closest major airport is Nice Côte d’Azur, roughly a 30 to 40 minute drive from Cannes in normal traffic. During the festival, that drive can take considerably longer, especially at peak arrival and departure days when delegations and media teams are on the move.

Trains run frequently along the coast, and local buses provide a lower-cost alternative, but they, too, can be crowded at key times. Within Cannes itself, many streets around the Palais and Croisette are partially closed or heavily policed, so walking is often the fastest way to navigate short distances.

Costs rise across the board during the festival period. Restaurant prices on the Croisette reflect both prime real estate and intense demand. To keep spending under control, consider seeking out cafes and bistros a few blocks inland, where menus are often more affordable and reservations easier to secure.

Supermarkets and boulangeries can be lifesavers for breakfast and quick lunches, especially if you plan to spend long days near the festival zone. Remember that security checkpoints limit what you can bring into the official perimeter. Glass bottles and large bags may be refused, so pack lightly and check current rules just before traveling.

From a strategic standpoint, decide early what kind of festival experience you want. If your goal is primarily sightseeing and atmosphere, focus on timing your trip around the middle days of the festival, when the red carpet is in full swing and the Cinéma de la Plage program is well underway.

If you are a film professional trying to maximize meetings, arrive early, when the market opens and industry schedules are still flexible. For students and cinephiles hoping to access screenings through public programs, monitor announcements from the festival and local cultural bodies in the months leading up to May, and be prepared to apply as soon as their systems open.

The Takeaway

Visiting Cannes during the Film Festival is a singular travel experience that combines Riviera scenery, global cinema, and high-octane glamour. It is also a tightly regulated event with multiple layers of access, from closed-door industry negotiations to open-air beach screenings for the general public.

Understanding these layers ahead of time will help you set realistic expectations and craft a trip that matches your interests, whether that means chasing gala tickets, strolling the Croisette in the evening light, or simply soaking up the festival buzz from a cafe terrace.

The key is preparation. Keep an eye on official announcements about dates, accreditation categories, dress codes, and public programs, especially as the 79th edition approaches in May 2026. Book accommodation early, think creatively about nearby towns for better value, and give yourself enough days on the ground to adapt to the festival’s dynamic rhythm.

With some planning and a bit of flexibility, your Cannes Film Festival visit can deliver not just glimpses of red carpet glamour, but also a deeper appreciation for how cinema is celebrated and traded at the highest level.

FAQ

Q1. Can I attend the Cannes Film Festival without working in the film industry?
Yes, you can visit Cannes during the festival and enjoy public elements such as the free beach screenings at the Cinéma de la Plage, outdoor events, and the general atmosphere on the Croisette. However, most indoor screenings and official events require accreditation or specific invitations, which are primarily reserved for professionals, guests, and certain cinephile programs.

Q2. What are the official dates for the next Cannes Film Festival?
The 79th edition of the Cannes Film Festival is scheduled to take place from May 12 to May 23, 2026. The Marché du Film, the industry market that runs alongside the festival, operates over approximately the same period, with exact dates and opening times published by the organizers closer to the event.

Q3. How can I get tickets to red carpet premieres?
Tickets to gala premieres in the Grand Théâtre Lumière are generally allocated through the festival’s online ticket system to accredited professionals, invited guests, and certain partners. They are not sold to the general public in a traditional box-office sense. If you hold a suitable badge, you can request tickets during specific booking windows. Without accreditation, it is very difficult to secure seats for these high-profile screenings.

Q4. Is there any way for a regular tourist to see films at Cannes?
Yes, the most accessible option is the Cinéma de la Plage, which offers free evening screenings on the beach that are open to all, subject to capacity. In addition, local cinephile and student programs sometimes provide limited access to screenings in city cinemas. These opportunities are competitive and usually require advance registration, but they do create openings for non-professionals to see festival titles.

Q5. What should I wear if I manage to get into a gala screening?
For evening gala screenings at the main theater, formal attire is expected. Men should wear a tuxedo or dark suit with a bow tie or tie, while women should choose an elegant evening gown, cocktail dress, or sophisticated pantsuit with dressy shoes or sandals. The festival has explicitly banned nudity, sheer “naked” looks, and excessively voluminous gowns or trains, so keep your outfit polished but practical.

Q6. How early should I book accommodation for the festival period?
You should book as early as possible, ideally several months ahead. Hotels on the Croisette and near the Palais de Festivals are heavily block-booked by film companies and media organizations. If your budget is limited, look for options in nearby towns such as Antibes, Juan-les-Pins, or Nice and use the regional train to commute. Waiting until the last minute usually means higher prices and fewer choices.

Q7. Are children allowed at Cannes Film Festival events?
Children are welcome in the city and at the public beach screenings, where families form a significant part of the audience. However, many official screenings carry age restrictions based on film content and festival regulations. Gala events, red carpet premieres, and industry areas are primarily adult environments. Always check age recommendations and practical considerations before bringing children into festival spaces.

Q8. Do I need to speak French to get by during the festival?
French is the official language of the festival, but English is widely used across industry and hospitality contexts. Most festival signage is bilingual, and staff at hotels, restaurants, and accreditation desks are accustomed to international visitors. Knowing a few basic French phrases is appreciated and can make everyday interactions smoother, but you can comfortably navigate the event with English alone.

Q9. How strict is security around the festival zone?
Security is thorough and visible throughout the festival period. Access to the official perimeter around the Palais, Riviera, and International Village is restricted to badge holders and authorized guests, with bag checks and scanning at entry points. For major events, such as gala premieres, additional screening and queuing measures are implemented. Visitors should allow extra time for these checks and follow instructions from security personnel.

Q10. Is it worth visiting Cannes during the festival if I have no accreditation?
Yes, many travelers find visiting during the festival rewarding even without accreditation. You can enjoy free beach screenings, watch the red carpet from behind the barriers, explore the city’s older districts, and soak up a uniquely glamorous atmosphere that blends cinema, fashion, and Riviera life. The key is to embrace the citywide spectacle rather than focusing solely on getting inside the Palais.