Plages Électroniques in Cannes: heightened festival security

From 7 to 9 August 2026, Plages Électroniques is taking place in Cannes — the largest beach electronic music festival in France, which this year marks its 20th anniversary. The anniversary edition is under heightened security: several hundred security staff and police officers are working on site.

Festival under surveillance

From 7 to 9 August Cannes has become the centre of electronic music. The anniversary programme is spread over 40 000 m²: in addition to the beach by the Palais des Festivals, the Panthiero esplanade and the Sea Terminal have been added, six stages are operating, and organisers expect around 66 000 spectators over three days — figures cited by the Cannes town hall. The event is being held under increased control: more than 300 security agents and about 100 police officers, including divers, are ensuring order on the festival grounds and in the surrounding area.

Security at the entrance

At the entrance visitors face thorough checks: personal searches with frisking and metal detector arches. Police use sniffer dogs to search for prohibited substances, and a mobile unit and plainclothes officers operate across the site. “Our task is to be visible and to deter possible breaches,” explains police commissioner Frederic Le Pollosec.

Cameras and technology

More than 30 CCTV cameras are used to monitor order, placed at key points across the festival. Each year organisers improve the security system by introducing new technologies, including artificial intelligence to analyse crowd movement and manage the flow of people.

Medical assistance and safety zone

To respond quickly to health-related incidents involving attendees, a civil defence team with doctors and nurses is on duty at the festival site. They provide first aid, and in the case of serious injuries hand over the casualties to firefighters and medical teams. A separate Safe Zone operates: it receives reports of harassment, and ordering the ‘Angela cocktail’ at any bar triggers the assistance protocol.

What else to do in Cannes

The festival’s twentieth anniversary is covered in detail by Nice Premium. If you’ve come for the weekend, it’s worth making wider use of the city: we compiled free routes and evening open-air screenings in the pieces ‘Cannes on Any Budget’ and ‘Cinema under the Stars’. The region’s summer line-up is not limited to Cannes — in June Jazz à Juan announced its dates.

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