CANNES - A FESTIVAL VIRGIN'S GUIDE
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What should I wear at the festival?
May on the French Riviera brings with it mixed weather. Whilst it's quite common to for daytime temperatures to nudge 25°C (77°F), you will almost definitely see a day or two of rain and cooler weather during the festival. Evening temperatures rarely drop below double figures.
During the day, the dress code is pretty informal. Neat casual should suffice for screenings, meetings, and general hanging out. T-Shirts and shorts are fine, but shoes or sandals will be required. Don't wear flip-flops (aka "thongs" to Australians) as some of the humourless security goons have been known to take issue with these.
For evening screenings, the dress code is 100% black tie. For the blokes, that means a tuxedo and dress shirt (although you can often get away with a black suit); but don't forget your bow-tie. This is essential.
For women the rules are, as always, a little looser. You don't need to wear a ball gown, but you must dress to impress for a very formal evening. Short skirts are not recommended, and it's worth keeping heels sensible as the red carpet and stairs can be treacherous (the last thing you want is to take a stack on the stairs with thousands of people and cameras watching).
For the full run-down on attending the Cannes Film Festival, make sure you pick up a copy of Cannes - A Festival Virgin's Guide.