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Walk the red carpet. That phrase has connotations of wealth, nobility, and recognition. Agamemnon perhaps walked the very first red carpet in an ancient Greek play written by Aeschylus in 458 B.C. Many at the famed Cannes Film Festival will continue that tradition this year from May 13-25th.
Young and old, new and iconic, conservative and wild, filmmakers and their arts will again be featured at Cannes in this innovative, apolitical, and diverse awards event. A charming coastal city along the Côte d’Azur in southern France, this small Mediterranean port will host legions of famous guests as it has since 1939. Joining acclaimed stars, filmmakers, movers and shakers of the film world, a privileged group of attendees will combine the events with a yachting experience centered around 12 days of film.
Cruising the pellucid aquamarine waters of the Mediterranean, a chartered yacht for the festival transforms the experience from special to ethereal. Yachting attire is often exclusive, understated, and expensive, but on a daily basis casual chic is the rule. The events surrounding Cannes will prove to be the exception, as the glittering, gorgeous, haute couture frocks sprout everywhere, especially on the red carpet leading to the main events. If you enjoy dressing to the nines, this is a fabulous place to do just that, fitting in with tastemakers from every corner of the globe.
With one main theatre, the Lumiere, the Cannes staff rolls out the red carpet several times daily. Each showing between 11 A.M. to midnight gets the royal treatment designated black tie, with a bevy of famous faces making the walk from limo to the top of the Lumiere stair. Tickets can be challenging to come by, with prices dearer than the Super Bowl, but knowing where to look is key. Several virtuoso travel professionals specialize in procuring the best seats for the most acclaimed films. The President of this, the 67th annual Cannes Film Festival, is Jane Campion, the only woman to win double Palm d’Or awards for her work The Piano in 1993, and The Peel in 1986. Official film selections for this year will be announced April 17, with juicy jury notes posted one week prior to the festival in May.
Parties surrounding the festival are plenty, with two of the most notable being Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen’s yacht party, and the amfAR Ball hosted by Cinema Against AIDS at the close of the festival at the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Antibes. Every fashion designer, luxury goods manufacturer, supermodel, and celebrity will make appearances at one or both. After the parties, pretty nightlife carries into the wee hours at clubs and cabarets like Carre d’Or, Rue Commandant Andre, and the Da Da Da Club, as well as at the casinos. Casino La Croisette Barriere holds tradition, and La Palm Beach holds the attention of upscale guests.
Ports at either end of Cannes gather a lovely collection of yachts during the festival, with a congenial yachting atmosphere that respects privacy and impeccable manners. Chats among those aboard these fabulous yachts center on where to shop, which would always include a stroll down Le Croisette, the boulevard along the bay, to side streets where the real finds occur. Rue d’Antibes and Rue Meynadier for trendstyling and fine food, Rue Houche for boutiques and cafes, and Chez Bruno for chocolate since 1929, might all be overheard in polite conversation.
Dining recommendations likely include La Palm d’Or at Hotel Martinez for the Plaisirs menu, to Le Park 45 at Le Grand Hotel for starry drama, and to Le Mantel in the old Cannes district of Le Suquet for a romantic interlude made perfect through discretion and an excellent wine list.
Of course, cruising the coastline anywhere along the Côte d’Azur, from the Italian border all the way to St. Tropez, or even to Toulon, offers crystalline waters, beautiful coastline villages, and pleasant beaches in a lovely summer climate. If film is your passion, and fame is appealing, a yachting experience booked during the Cannes Film Festival should mark your calendar this May.
There is no better calendar than one visiting the south of France in May. It would be our pleasure and privilege to assist you in arranging attendance on board the perfect private yacht charter for either the Grand Prix events or the Cannes Film Festival, but while you’re there, doesn’t it make sense to enjoy all three?