A simple fishing village until the 1830s, Cannes is now one of the world's most famous and fashionable resorts. Le Suquet, its highest point, looks over the city's sparkling beach bedecked with bronzed bodies, and enormous yachts crowd for space at the comely Vieux Port. The city's slogan, "Life is a Festival", is illustrated by groups of lighthearted people laughing along the Boulevard de la Croisette, the Riviera's classiest stroll.

Created as an alternative to the Venice Film Festival, which was being used as a venue for propaganda by both Mussolini and Hitler, the International Film Festival in Cannes staged its first screening in 1939. War interrupted the gala until 1946, when it resumed at the Palais des Festivals. The Palais was rebuilt in 1982 and upgraded in 1999, and now encompasses 25,000 sq. m. (29,900 sq. yd.). Affectionately nicknamed the "bunker", its sand-coloured base is adorned with the hand-prints and signatures of hundreds of stars. During the rest of the year, gallery-hop, admire inspirational art and architecture and tempt fate at the city's elegant casino.