Our Cannes Lions 2026 coverage continues with more brand action from the annual festival of creativity, this year June 22-26. From patisseries to panels, here’s a look at another batch of experiential highlights from the French Riviera.
CADENT’S SALON
While the Croisette was bustling with cabanas and exclusive suites, adtech brand Cadent carved out fresh real estate in town to solve a known pain point amid the French Riviera’s mega-heat by offering touchups, blowouts and a glass of champagne during an event where appearances matter. In a full takeover and rebranding (inside and out) of local salon, CD Coiffure, the company offered beard shape-ups, scalp massages and blowouts available by appointment only. (Agency: Factory360)
Photos: Courtesy of Cadent
DOORDASH ADS’ MARKETPLACE
After making its Cannes Lions debut in 2025, DoorDash Ads returned in 2026 with another sophisticated activation dubbed Le Marché du Quotidien, a marketplace-inspired, indoor-outdoor environment built around the idea that “life doesn’t follow a marketing calendar.” The space used custom cooler screens, checkout counter vignettes and daily drops to illustrate how real consumer demand is driven by human behavior rather than traditional marketing seasons. (Agency: Jack Morton)
Photos: Courtesy of DoorDash Ads
MARRIOTT’S NEWSSTAND
Marriott Bonvoy and Marriott Media turned travel into one of the festival’s standout “headlines” this year with a newsstand on the Croisette that debuted the second edition of the Traveler Psychology Report. Meanwhile, a “Meet Us Where…” speaker series featured Marriott’s ceo and cco in conversations with pop culture icons Jamie Oliver, Hoda Kotb, Eileen Gu and Ejae on how culture and lifestyle shape travel. And Marriott Bonvoy Boutiques, a retail pop-up extending the hotel experience into wellness, sleep and destination collections, rounded out the agenda. (Agency: BMF)
Photo credit: James Robinson
NETFLIX’S FAN CLUB
Netflix returned to its iconic location at the JW Marriott rooftop for a fourth year, with its “N” logo installation once again hovering over the Croisette. The invite-only space included a fully functional restaurant serving complimentary f&b, and leaned into a fan club theme, encompassing a Fandom Pavilion that featured a “KPop Demon Hunters”-inspired convenience store with graphics by day, and neon lights by night, a Fan Mail post office, a snack shop, and a Fan Atelier customization studio featuring exclusive brand merch.
In addition, the Impact House brought four Netflix worlds (“KPop Demon Hunters,” “Emily in Paris,” “Bridgerton” and “Wednesday”) to life through interactive moments, like a Regency era-inspired salon and a graveyard installation, while a live sports zone included boxing-, Women’s World Cup- and NFL-themed photo moments and memorabilia, and a walk-through players tunnel.
Evening programming had even more to offer. For Tuesday’s cmo dinner, Netflix transformed the rooftop into a “Nobody Wants This” set—with the cast in attendance. To tout “Wednesday,” the brand tapped Ali Wong for an exclusive comedy performance, followed by an afterparty featuring a secret entrance, with the rooftop reimagined as a speakeasy and serving up live music and theatrical entertainment. (Agency: Seen Presents)
Photos: Courtesy of Netflix
PAYPAL ADS’ PÂTISSERIE
PayPal Ads skipped the beach club in favor of something more culturally resonant: the bright-blue PayPal Ads Pâtisserie, which took cues from classic French pâtisseries, and included custom branding, floral details and a grab-and-go coffee cart. The café, located on the Croisette, served up coffee, pastries, discussions on commerce media in informal networking areas, private meeting rooms and a dedicated content studio. (Agency: DesignScene)
Photos: Courtesy of PayPal Ads
PINTEREST’S MANIFESTIVAL
Pinterest’s popular Manifestival returned to Cannes, where the brand leveraged its latest strategy, inviting attendees to put away their phones, take on a “Less URL, More IRL” mentality and step inside an environment designed to feel like a Pinterest board come to life.
Activations spanned the ever-intriguing Pinterest Tattoo Parlour, this year with a Pinterest Predicts trends twist, and a Patisserie serving custom desserts based on attendees’ answers to personal taste prompts, which were also tied to Predicts trends.
Creative and style-focused experiences were also stacked up. In partnership with Adobe, the Visual Search Studio let guests use handheld “search bars” to capture their aesthetic, which Adobe Express designers turned into custom-printed journals, while the Style Lab with artist Clara Chu featured hands-on accessory upcycling geared toward Gen Z, and the Pinterest Palette: Bleach Club, hosted in partnership with Sephora, allowed festivalgoers to experiment with bold hair and clothing color, from frosted tips to bleach-painted clothing.
Rounding out Pinterest’s presence was the Offline Social Club that gave attendees a place to recharge and lean into the analog Pen Pals trend by writing and sending physical postcards through La Poste Française.
Photos: Courtesy of Pinterest
TIKTOK’S SUPPORT DESK
Naturally, TikTok had an influencer-forward presence at Cannes, where it took over the gardens of the Carlton Hotel to entertain and engage creators, and foster meaningful connections with and among them. Panels and exclusive events throughout the week unpacked themes like turning creativity into business impact, and the intersection of culture and commerce.
Beyond programming, there was an IRL support desk for one-on-one platform advice, brand executives on-site sharing trends and updates, and a few unexpected touchpoints, including unlimited swag and an AI perfume experience that revealed participants’ “FYP smell.” (Agency: Jack Morton)
Photos: Courtesy of TikTok
TUBI’S CLUB LA CROISETTE
Tubi and its coveted air-conditioning returned to the festival, this time with Club La Croisette, a home base for the brand’s programming, and an inviting, Y2K-club-culture-inspired environment. There, creators, brand leaders, entertainment execs and media swapped ideas and made connections across a lounge, terrace, bar, stage, throwback beauty bar, juice bar, VIP meeting rooms and music from DJ Hadrian. (Agency: Amplify)
Photos: Courtesy of Tubi
UBER’S ICE CREAM BOAT
In one has to be one of the splashiest experiences as Cannes Lions, Uber promoted the launch of its at-sea services around coastal European destinations with a classic ice cream parlor—reimagined as a floating activation. The company’s branded Click&Boat vessel traveled from port to port along the Croisette dishing out four flavors inspired by the Riviera coastline using a vintage silver tray “ice cream arm” designed to deliver scoops directly from the boat. Ultimately, more than 400 pounds of ice cream were served. (Agency: CARVINGBLOCK)
Photos: Courtesy of Uber
UBER ADVERTISING’S VILLA
For its fourth year at Cannes Lions, Uber Advertising made the case that it’s everywhere. Literally. The company’s presence was visible at the festival from start to finish, with engagement beginning in the air, as travelers encountered Uber Advertising on their flights, then in airport OOH screens, as well as inside the Uber app before they even touched down.
On the ground, the Uber Advertising Villa returned with three days of programming, happy hours, a convenience cart and a digital wall of ad experiences updated with live World Cup content. Thought leadership sessions dug into AI, commerce media and tying cultural moments to outcomes.
Beyond the Villa, Uber shuttled people around the Croisette in branded Mini Mokes, rolled up to Stagwell’s Sport Beach with exclusive soccer fandom data, and once again took over the Vesuvio pizza window from 1 to 3 a.m. to serve free late-night eats. (Agency: DesignScene)
Photo credit: BronacMcNeill.com
UTA’S TWO-STORY HUB
UTA debuted its most expansive Cannes Lions presence yet with UTA Beach, a two-story, air-conditioned beachfront hub designed for 120-plus c-suite leaders and talent to get business done while contemplating the future of entertainment, sports, the creator economy and brands.
Highlights included a first-ever Creator Lounge, a VIP space for talent across industries, with brand partners like poppi, Point of View Beauty and Supergoop! on hand, and another first—a podcast studio where clients and marketing leaders recorded live episodes throughout the week.
The Main Stage brought together cultural and brand leaders to discuss rewriting the rules of storytelling and engagement, with speakers including Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Karlie Kloss, Mel Robbins, and Kara Swisher, among top-tier participants. Golden-hour happy hours hosted in partnership with Rumor Rosé and Campari followed each day’s programming.
And after hours, UTA Beach became the invite-only UTA After Dark experience, which spanned intimate dinners and performances for talent, influencers and execs, alongside an Executive Salon series designed for candid, senior-level networking moments across brands, media and tech. (Agency: 2LK)
Photo credit: James Northy
WALMART CONNECT’S LE MARCHÉ
Walmart Connect and Vizio teamed up at Cannes with Le Marché, turning a penthouse suite at the Hôtel Barrière Le Majestic into a traditional, French market-inspired environment where culture, content and commerce were combined. The space featured curated beauty essentials, beverages, snacks and toiletries designed to help attendees take a breath and recharge before heading back into the crowds.
Festivalgoers could attend in-suite sessions with Walmart Connect leadership, and rooftop events with perks like made-to-order crêpes and gelato. Meanwhile, the Walmart Connect Studio brought together leaders across brands and agencies to explore what’s next in commerce media.
Photo credit: BronacMcNeill.com
