“Don’t come to Cannes in May,” I’m forever telling my friends. “Everything trebles, especially the population and price for food and accommodation.”
May is movie madness month in Cannes and while the famous Cannes Film Festival, now in it’s 66 th year, sounds alluring, unless you work in the business the average tourist cannot participate in the red carpets or insider events. If you like to people watch, then it may suit you, but believe me each year it gets harder and harder to spot the attending stars.
During this period Cannes is not geared for the tourist. There are no beach restaurants for you to while-away the hour’s in. Instead the film companies have paid the owners handsomely to erect their huge white tents for invitee only champagne swilling, hob- knobbing after party functions.
During the ten-day festival over a thousand new movies are screened in the Palais and at several other normal cinema complexes around central Cannes, but these are strictly for Festival pass holders, even ordinary residence cannot view them.
Sure, a token huge outdoor screen stands tall on the free beach at the Palais end of the Croisette and each night films are screened for the public, but these are classics, not the new ones in competition for the Palme d’Or or other accolades on offer.
And if you still don’t believe me that this period is not for the normal tourist or resident, here’s a few statistics to assist in gauging this sizeable event: A permanent staff of 30 run the Festival all year round, swelling to 850 for the actual event. The budget last year was 20 million Euros ($26M USD), half public funded, the remainder from group contributions and official partners. Over two kilometers of red carpet is unraveled and changed three times daily. In 1966, when statistics were first recorded, only 700 journalists covered the event. In 2010, nearly 4,000 journalists attended, making the Festival the second largest world media event after the Olympics. Over 200,000 actors, directors, producers, agents and fans attend, along with 10,000 film professionals from 91 countries around the world flocking to the Marché du Film to trade buy and sell all things film-related each year.
So if you don’t mind the crowds and exorbitant costs do come and join us — if you can, otherwise come and experience the real Cannes in a truly relaxed atmosphere another month. I recommend June or September that shoulder the hectic and again expensive summer months. You’ll have space to enjoy the historic and picturesque surroundings, the weather is invitingly warm, as are the locals.