Cannes Lions have announced overnight that the annual Festival of Creativity will not take place in June as previous planned. They are now engaging their contingency plans to hold the festival from 26-30 October instead.
On Tuesday France closed its borders to contain the coronavirus outbreak and announced a lockdown on the general population. With over 9,000 confirmed cases and 264 deaths, France is still a hotspot in the global outbreak of coronavirus.
“The global situation is dynamic and changing rapidly” said Philip Thomas, chairman of Cannes Lions. “We felt it was critical to provide visibility on June as soon as possible. We will continue to liaise closely with our customers as we develop our plans.”
The decision comes following talks between festival organisers and partners and customers, as well as, consultation with public health officials, the mayoral office of Cannes and French Authorities.
“Our community is facing unprecedented challenges and collaboration has never been more important” said Cannes Lions Managing Director Simon Cook. “We are focussed now on planning the festival – and our beating heart, the Lions – to ensure our community is able to recognise the extraordinary work it contributes to business, organisations and society.”
Organisers said the festival’s awards would be given out during the new October dates, and the festival is planning to extend the deadline and eligibility date for entries.
