The South of France region of Alpes-Maritimes has been hit by a massive power outage just hours ahead of the Cannes Film Festival’s closing ceremony.
Deadline staff on the ground reported that electricity was out across Cannes, with lights off in shops and restaurants, which could only take cash payments. Traffic lights were also down causing snarl-ups on the roads.
The internet has also impacted with popular Apps like WhatsApp offline.
Lights were still on at the Les Palais des Festivals, however, and a number of the big hotels along the Croisette still had power thanks to generators, although it was not clear how for long they could continue to provide power.
France Info radio reported that 160,000 households were impacted by the outage which was caused by the fall of a power line.
Deadline has contacted the festival for update on whether this will impact the closing ceremony.
