Power Outage Disrupts Cannes Film Festival’s Final Day Amid Ongoing Police Investigation into Potential Arson

A significant power outage occurred in southeastern France on Saturday morning, impacting traffic and briefly halting events at the Cannes Film Festival. The outage emerged as the prestigious festival was preparing to present its top prize. Power was restored around 3 p.m., much to the delight of locals, who greeted the end of the blackout with cheers as music resumed from beachfront speakers.

Approximately 160,000 households in the Alpes-Maritimes department lost electricity when a high-voltage line fell early Saturday. This incident followed a fire at an electrical substation near Cannes that had already weakened the power grid. The French national gendarmerie has initiated an investigation into the possibility of arson, with a spokesperson stating that they are examining the likelihood of a deliberately set fire.

Organizers of the Cannes Film Festival confirmed that the outage affected the day’s early activities, but reassured attendees that the Palais des Festivals, the main venue on the Croisette, switched to an independent power supply. They stated, “All scheduled events and screenings, including the Closing Ceremony, will proceed as planned and under normal conditions.” However, the cause of the outage had not yet been determined as restoration efforts were ongoing.

In the town of Cannes and the nearby city of Antibes, non-functioning traffic lights caused traffic jams and confusion in city centers. Many shops along the Croisette remained closed, and local food kiosks were accepting only cash. Moreover, train services in Cannes experienced disruptions, and screenings at the Cineum, one of the festival’s satellite venues, were temporarily suspended.