An electricity outage of criminal origin affects the western part of the Alpes-Maritimes department this Saturday, May 24. Cannes, in the midst of preparation for the closing ceremony of its festival, is among the impacted cities. The organizers assure that the event will indeed take place.
For several hours, a massive electricity outage has affected several towns in the department, including Cannes, Mandelieu, Antibes, Vallauris, and some villages in the hinterland of Nice. According to several sources, a fire may have damaged a high-voltage station, leading to an outage across a large portion of the network.
According to the media on site, the gendarmerie is considering the criminal trail. An investigation is underway to determine the exact circumstances of the incident. According to RTE and Enedis, nearly 160,000 households are currently without power.
The telephone network was also disrupted in the morning, as were mobile phone services. 5G was temporarily cut in certain areas, but the network is starting to return, according to several local sources. Train traffic between Nice and Cannes is also largely disrupted, with long delays expected. The SNCF currently announces 15-20 minutes of delay on the network. The Monaco Grand Prix is not affected by this incident.
A festival under tension but maintained
Despite this situation, the organizers of the Cannes Festival have confirmed that the closing ceremony will take place as planned. The Palais des Festivals is now operating thanks to generators installed urgently. “The Palais des Festivals has switched to an independent power supply system, allowing all scheduled events and screenings to be maintained today, including the closing ceremony, under normal conditions”, specified the festival’s officials in a statement.
A screening scheduled for 8:30 this morning was canceled after a brief outage. Subsequent screenings resumed. The marketing and communication director of the Palais wanted to reassure the public: “The ceremony will proceed normally.”
The prefecture of Alpes-Maritimes has called for caution. On the network X, it reminds that RTE teams are working hard to restore power. “Be careful during your movements”, it added.
For now, no precise estimate has been given regarding the duration of the interruption. Technical teams are continuing their efforts for a return to normalcy.
Despite the disruptions, La Croisette is preparing to experience the closure of its 78th edition in a particular atmosphere, between autonomous spotlights and heightened vigilance.
