Cannes Fireworks Festival

The Festival d’Art Pyrotechnique is Cannes’ free summer fireworks competition: six evenings of displays launched over the bay and watched from the Croisette. The 2026 edition ran from 4 July to 24 August, with teams from six countries, five of them competing for the Golden Vestal, the Jury Prize and the Audience Prize.

When is the Cannes Fireworks Festival?

The festival is organised by the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès, which has run it since 1967. The 2026 edition took place on 4, 14 and 22 July and 4, 15 and 24 August. Shows start at 10pm, except 14 July, which began at 11pm.

Dates for 2027 had not been published on the official site as of October 2026. Expect a similar run of evenings across July and August, and check the festival website in spring before you plan around a specific night.

What to expect

Each evening is a separate entry from a different pyrotechnic company. In 2026 they came from Serbia, Poland, China, France, Finland and the Czech Republic, the last one out of competition on the closing night. Every display lasts at least 20 minutes, and the tourist office puts it at about 25. The soundtrack is broadcast on Cannes Radio, 91.5 FM, so a phone or small speaker adds the music if you are watching from a distance.

The displays are fired along 500 metres of waterfront, and crowds can reach up to 100,000 people on a show night. Winners are decided by a jury and by an online audience vote, with the result announced at the closing ceremony on 24 August. Since 2005, boats collect surface waste after each show and divers clear the seabed the next morning.

Getting there

Cannes station is a few minutes’ walk from the Croisette, which the tourist office calls the easiest way in on busy evenings. From Nice, the train takes about 35 minutes. Buses serve central Cannes and neighbouring towns, but check return timetables. If you drive, city-centre car parks fill quickly, so the tourist office suggests parking out of town and walking in.

Nice-Ville is a practical base. Check the last train back before the show, because everyone leaves at once afterwards.

Practical tips

Choose your spot. The Croisette beaches give the most direct view of the launch barges, and public beaches are free. Port Canto and the Boulevard du Midi are calmer and better for families. Le Suquet, La Californie and Croix-des-Gardes Park give panoramic views, though the sound is less immersive and the park is less well lit afterwards.

Arrive early. The tourist office suggests dinner around 7pm, an easy seat before 7:30pm and a place on the beach before 8pm. The best spots go quickly.

Consider paid options. Some private beaches and restaurants sell show-night packages, rooftop bars on the Croisette have limited places, and boat trips run from the harbour. Book days or weeks ahead.

Pack for the evening. Bring a towel or blanket, water and a light jacket, since it gets cooler by the sea after dark. A picnic or games help with children.

Check the weather. Shows can be postponed for wind above 20 km/h, swell above one metre or severe weather. Postponements are announced on the festival website and social networks.