Power Outage in Cannes During Film Festival Is Sabotage, Officials Say
nytimes.comPublished: 5/24/2025
Summary
A significant power outage in Cannes, southeastern France—a key location for the upcoming film festival—was caused by acts of sabotage, including arson at a substation and damage to a transmission tower, affecting over 160,000 homes for hours before electricity was restored. The incident briefly halted screenings at the festival, but organizers swiftly switched to generators, allowing the closing ceremony on Saturday evening to proceed normally as planned. Authorities are actively investigating and working to identify and apprehend those responsible for the damage.