A massive power outage struck southeastern France on Saturday morning, affecting the city of Cannes and surrounding areas, coinciding with the final day of the 78th Cannes Film Festival.

The blackout began around 10:00 AM local time following a fire at a power distribution station in the early hours of the morning. The incident was reportedly triggered by a fallen high-voltage pole near Lake Saint-Cassien, which disrupted electricity supply to approximately 160,000 households across the Alpes-Maritimes department.

Despite the disruption, organizers of the Cannes Film Festival swiftly activated an independent power supply system at the Palais des Festivals, ensuring that all scheduled screenings and the prestigious closing ceremony proceeded without interruption.

While the festival venue remained fully operational, several businesses and public areas throughout Cannes experienced power loss. Some cinemas outside the main venue suspended screenings, shops and cafés limited operations, and many resorted to cash-only transactions due to the outage. Train services were delayed but not canceled.