A major power outage, possibly caused by arson, hit southeastern France on Saturday morning, potentially disrupting the closing celebrations of the Cannes Film Festival.
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Power was restored around 3 p.m. local time, just hours before the Palme d’Or ceremony, according to the Associated Press. Music returned to the beachfront speakers, and the atmosphere quickly came to life. Locals cheered loudly, celebrating the end of the blackout with excitement.
Approximately 160,000 households in the Alpes-Maritimes region experienced a power outage on Saturday morning after a high-voltage line collapsed, according to electricity network operator RTE explained in a post on X, per the AP. The disruption followed an earlier incident overnight—a fire at an electrical substation near Cannes—that had already strained the grid.
Meanwhile, authorities are investigating possible arson.
Laurent Hottiaux, prefect of the Alpes-Maritimes department, strongly condemned the “serious acts of damage” caused to the electrical infrastructure in an official statement.
“All resources are mobilized to identify, track down, arrest, and bring to justice the perpetrators of these acts,” Hottiaux added.
Cannes Film Festival Organizers Confirm Power Outage
The Cannes Film Festival organizers confirmed that the outage disrupted early Saturday activities. They also announced that the Palais des Festivals, the main venue on the Croisette, had transitioned to an independent power supply to address the issue.
“All scheduled events and screenings, including the Closing Ceremony, will proceed as planned and under normal conditions,” the statement via the AP explained. “At this stage, the cause of the outage has not yet been identified. Restoration efforts are underway.”
After 10 a.m., traffic lights in parts of Cannes and nearby Antibes malfunctioned, causing traffic jams and confusion in the city centers. Along the iconic Croisette, most shops stayed closed, while local food kiosks operated on a cash-only basis. Adding to the disruption, train services in Cannes also experienced interruptions.
The festival announced that screenings at the Cineum, one of its satellite venues, were temporarily paused.