A weekend in Cannes with an attaché to the stars

Every May since 1946, the red carpet has been rolled out onto Cannes’ palm-lined boulevards for its International Film Festival, turning the French Riviera resort city into a playground for silver screen stars.

Much like the celebrities it attracts, Cannes isn’t camera shy: it’s a postcard-perfect town bursting with fuchsia bougainvillea and resplendent ivory-hued facades. And as its palatial grand hotels show, the town has been a magnet for the elite long before the dawn of film – prior to entertaining Hollywood royalty, it was the haunt of European nobility.

The 2025 edition of the Film Festival, taking place 13-24 May, will bring a set of well-known A-listers, from Tom Cruise to Robert De Niro, who will recceive the Honorary Palme d’Or for Lifetime Achievement. But you don’t need to be of blue blood or billed in a Hollywood blockbuster to enjoy a VIP experience in this jewel-like Côte d’Azur holiday town.

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We spoke to Gilles Bastoni, the Cannes born-and-bred head concierge of the city’s iconic, five-star Hôtel Barrière Le Majestic, which is opposite the main venue of the Film Festival and hosts its main VIPs.

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