Power Outage Hits Cannes Hours Before Film Festival Finale

TDT | Manama

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A widespread power outage struck southeastern France on Saturday, affecting approximately 160,000 households in the Alpes-Maritimes department and causing brief disruptions in the city of Cannes—just hours before the prestigious Cannes Film Festival was set to announce its top honors.

According to France’s electricity network operator RTE, the blackout was triggered by a fallen high-voltage power line earlier in the morning. The situation was compounded by an overnight fire at an electrical substation near Cannes, which had already strained the local power infrastructure.

Festival organizers reported early-day disruptions but confirmed that operations at the main venue, the Palais des Festivals, swiftly transitioned to an independent power source to ensure the show would go on.

“All scheduled events and screenings, including the Closing Ceremony, will proceed as planned and under normal conditions,” said a statement from the festival. “At this stage, the cause of the outage has not yet been identified. Restoration efforts are underway.”

Despite the swift action, some satellite venues, including Cineum, experienced temporary screening delays. Public services were also affected—traffic lights in Cannes and nearby Antibes failed after 10 a.m., leading to congestion and confusion across key roads.

Businesses along the famous Croisette promenade closed temporarily, with local shops and vendors operating cash-only due to electronic payment disruptions. Train services in and around Cannes also faced delays.

Authorities urged residents and visitors to exercise caution while moving around the region as technicians continued to restore electricity across affected areas.