#CannesLions2020: Postponed until October

18 Mar 2020

NEWSWATCH: Cannes Lions organisers announced today, 18 March that the annual advertising festival will not take place in June due to the coronavirus pandemic. The event has been postponed from 22-26 June to the previously announced contingency dates of 26-30 October.

Cannes Lions/Adweek

The decision was arrived at after consultation with public health officials, the Cannes mayor’s office, French authorities and Festival partners.

France is currently under lockdown with 7,730 confirmed cases and 175 deaths at the time of publishing.

“The global situation is dynamic and changing rapidly,” said Philip Thomas, chairman of Cannes Lions. “We felt it was critical to provide visibility on June as soon as possible. We will continue to liaise closely with our customers as we develop our plans.”

“Our community is facing unprecedented challenges, and collaboration has never been more important,” said MD Simon Cook.

We are focused now on planning the festival—and our beating heart, the Lions—to ensure our community is able to recognise the extraordinary work it contributes to business, organisations and society.

According to Adweek, Cannes Lions traditionally draws about 12,000 attendees, along with many non-passholders on its periphery.