The 80th Festival de Cannes runs from 11 to 22 May 2027. The festival itself is a professional event: the official accreditation page says plainly that it is reserved for the film industry, and a badge is what gets people into the Palais des Festivals. That does not mean a visitor without a badge sees nothing. There are free screenings on the beach, free public seats in several town cinemas, paid tickets for one parallel section, two programmes for film lovers that you apply for in winter, and the red carpet itself, which you can watch from behind the barriers.
Everything below about access is based on the rules for the 2026 edition. The festival and the city publish the 2027 details in the months before May, so check them again in spring.
Cinéma de la Plage: free films on the sand
This is the easiest way in. Every evening of the festival at 9:30 pm, Macé Beach on the Croisette, opposite the Majestic Hotel, turns into an open-air cinema. It is part of the Official Selection, a few steps from the Palais, and the festival describes it as open to everyone. In 2026 the programme had 11 films, from a world premiere with the whole film team present to a 40th anniversary screening of Top Gun, and each night started with a DJ warm-up.
In 2026 the city announced that Macé Beach would take the name of Brigitte Bardot, so on signs and maps you may see Plage Brigitte Bardot.
In mid-May the sun sets around 8:45 to 8:55 pm, so by the time the film starts it is already dark over the bay. If you want a photo of the screen with some colour left in the sky, come early and take it before 9:30. Bring a layer for the evening: you will be sitting by the sea for two hours.
Free public seats in town cinemas
In 2026 the Cannes Cinéma association, which runs the Cannes Cinéphiles programme, opened seats to the general public without any badge. You create a free "Grand Public" account on the festival's ticket platform, and seats that accredited film lovers have not booked are released there 24 hours before each screening.
These seats were in the Théâtre Alexandre III, La Licorne (not for the Official Selection there), Le Raimu, Studio 13 and the Espace Miramar for the Semaine de la Critique. The rules are strict. You need a ticket to enter, there is no last minute queue for people without a badge, you should arrive 25 minutes before the start, and nobody gets in once the film has begun, even with a ticket. You can cancel up to an hour before. If you simply do not show up, a penalty is recorded on your profile.
In practice, check the platform each morning for the next day's screenings and book quickly.
Paid tickets for the Quinzaine des Cinéastes
The Quinzaine des Cinéastes (Directors' Fortnight) is the only section that sells tickets to anyone. In 2026 a single ticket cost 8 euros and a pack of six cost 40 euros. Screenings are at the Théâtre Croisette inside the JW Marriott hotel. You could buy online through the same "Grand Public" account or in person at the counters on rue Amouretti, which in 2026 opened on 11 May from 10 am to 7 pm, then from 13 May to the last Friday from 8 am to 7 pm.
If you are 18 to 28: 3 Days in Cannes
The festival runs its own programme for young film lovers. To apply you must be between 18 and 28 and, in the festival's words, passionate about film. The application includes an ID, an ID photo and a short letter about your love of cinema. In 2026 the window was 2 February to 15 March, online only.
The badge covers three days. In 2026 there were three sessions: 13 to 15 May, 18 to 20 May and 21 to 23 May. It gives access to all Official Selection films at the Cinéum, the city's multiplex in the La Bocca district, which has a free shuttle from the town centre. Holders can also try for screenings in the Palais, including some in the Grand Théâtre Lumière, on a first come basis, with professionals served first. On the last Thursday and Friday there is a separate programme for this group at the Les Arcades cinema.
Film students and cinema clubs: the Cinéphiles badge
The second programme is for film students, school groups and members of film clubs or cultural associations. It goes through Cannes Cinéma and you apply on the same festival portal with a motivation letter, proof of study or club membership and an ID. Associations apply for their members.
The badge gave free access to the Official Selection, the Quinzaine, the Semaine de la Critique and a few smaller sections, with priority in four town cinemas. Seats in the Palais and the Cinéum opened only 24 hours ahead and depended on availability.
The red carpet from the public side
The red carpet covers the 24 steps of the Palais des Festivals, which stands where the Croisette meets the Old Port. Without an invitation you watch it from the other side of the barriers, and you will not be alone. Before the 2026 opening night, Euronews filmed fans arriving at the Palais before dawn with stepladders and chairs chained together to hold a place. The report also says the organisers open public access at set times and limit where people can stand, so regulars plan in advance which entrance to use.
If you want to see arrivals, treat it as a half day. Bring water, something to eat, a phone battery and patience, and accept that a short person behind three rows of ladders sees mostly backs.
The steps themselves are there all year. Outside May they are not reserved for anyone, and the tourist office openly invites visitors to take selfies on them. Around the Palais runs the Chemin des étoiles, with about 150 imprints of film stars set into the pavement. If your main goal is a photo of you on the famous steps, a quiet day outside the festival is far easier than festival week.
Where to stand for photos during festival week
In May the sun rises around 6:05 am and sets around 8:50 pm. Early morning is the quietest time on the Croisette, before the crowds and the barriers fill up, and the light is still low and soft.
For the view over the whole scene, climb Le Suquet, the old town on the hill west of the Old Port. The tourist office calls it one of the most beautiful viewpoints in the city, and it is where Cannes began as a fishing village. The way up starts on rue Meynadier and passes the Forville market, then continues through narrow streets such as rue Saint-Antoine and rue du Suquet.
The east side of the Palais is covered in glass panels that reflect the sky and the street, which the tourist office itself points out to photographers. On a premiere evening the crowd around the Palais is a subject in its own right, even if you never get near the carpet.
Getting there from Paris
Direct TGV trains run from Paris Gare de Lyon to Cannes in a little over five hours, according to route planners such as Rome2Rio. Check the current timetable on the SNCF Connect app before you book.
Ilia Pisarenko is a photographer based in Paris.