Sabotage Plunges Cannes into Darkness During Film Festival

Cannes Film Festival Closing Ceremony Disrupted by Power Outage: Intentional Sabotage Suspected A major power outage struck Cannes, France, on Saturday morning, May 24, 2025, just hours before the closing ceremony of the prestigious Cannes Film Festival. The incident, attributed to deliberate sabotage by authorities, plunged a significant portion of the city into darkness, affecting an estimated 160,000 people. Prosecutor Damien Savarzeix confirmed to France-Presse that three of the four support pillars of a high-voltage power tower supplying Cannes were found sawn through. "Ha sido un acto malintencionado," stated Savarzeix, highlighting the intentional nature of the disruption. The outage caused widespread disruption. Businesses were forced to halt operations, with many unable to process card payments due to the lack of power. "No podemos pagar nada en el ordenador, no hay cajas registradoras, no podemos hacer nada," explained one business owner, describing the chaos. The Cannes train station also experienced significant delays, adding to the inconvenience. One traveler commented, "La gente estaba un poco agitada." expressing the general unease. Despite the challenges, the Festival organizers ensured the closing ceremony proceeded as scheduled, thanks to the use of backup generators at the Palais des Festivals. This allowed the event to continue without major interruptions, showcasing the resilience of the event and the city. The incident underscores the vulnerability of critical infrastructure and the potential impact of intentional disruptions on major events.