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The 73rd Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity runs June 22–26, 2026. Here is where Black creatives, founders and culture-makers should be — from the Palais stages to the after-dark hours.
Cannes Lions is back, and as always, the real action extends well beyond the Palais.
Yes, the week is anchored by the awards, the brand activations, and the beachfront programming that defines the festival. But for those paying attention, Cannes is also where Black creatives, founders, marketers, and culture shifters are gathering for the conversations that actually move the industry forward; from ownership and AI to creator power, capital, and the future of global storytelling.
If you’re in Cannes this week, this is the guide to keep close. We rounded up the Black-led conversations, can’t-miss programming, and after-hours moments worth making time for, including the rooms where connections happen long after the panels end.
At the center of it all is Cannes After Dark, presented by Black At and Eventnoire on Wednesday, June 24, featuring DJ Obi and Moonchild Sanelly. More on that below. First, a quick look at the festival itself.
What Cannes Lions Actually Is
Cannes Lions is the global advertising and creative communications industry’s biggest annual gathering, held each year at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès in Cannes, France. Now in its 73rd year, the festival brings together brand leaders, agencies, media executives, creators, founders, and cultural tastemakers for a week of talks, award shows, networking, and city-wide activations.
This year’s edition drew more than 20,000 award submissions from 92 countries, judged by over 300 jurors, with roughly 500 speakers across more than 150 hours of programming. The 2026 festival also introduced new AI Craft award subcategories, reflecting just how central conversations around AI, ownership, and the economics of creativity have become.
Most programming inside the Palais requires accreditation, but several of the Black-led events and activations across Cannes are open with RSVP. If it’s on your list, don’t wait, the best ones fill fast.
Black Talent on The Main Stage
Oprah Winfrey — The Cannes LionHeart. The festival’s highest individual honor goes to Winfrey this year. She speaks at the Lumière Theatre on Tuesday, June 23 at 10:00am, ahead of receiving the LionHeart Award at that evening’s ceremony. The award recognizes people who have used their platform to drive lasting change. For an audience thinking about media ownership and narrative power, this is the seminar to clear your morning for.
Jackie Aina & Olamide Olowe — “From Corporate Creator to Creator CEO.” A conversation about converting audience and cultural fluency into businesses with real commercial weight. Tuesday, June 23, 1:30–2:30pm, Microsoft Gardens Stage. Open with registration. Aina built a beauty empire from creator influence; Olowe founded Topicals. Together they make the clearest case of the week for the multi-hyphenate model.
Bonang Matheba — “The Algorithm Doesn’t Know Your Culture.” A session on the friction between algorithmic efficiency and human authenticity, and what gets lost when technology tries to categorize culture it does not understand. Moderated by Ama Hill. Tuesday, June 23, 3:00–3:45pm, DEPT® Secret Garden. Open with registration.
Keith Lee & Olandria Carthen — “The Power of Community.” How creators build influence that shifts culture rather than simply collecting attention. Wednesday, June 24, 1:30–2:30pm, Microsoft Gardens Stage. Open with registration.
afriCANNES — “The Distinctiveness Gap.” A fireside bringing together voices across African creativity, music, media and global marketing on closing the distance between African cultural influence and industry infrastructure. Featuring Kojo Marfo, Kofi Turkson, Bernard Kafui Sokpe, Addy Awofisayo, Chika Uwazie and Ben Williams. Thursday, June 25, 4:15–4:35pm, DEPT® Secret Garden. RSVP, subject to approval.
Black At Cannes — “Culture to Capital.” The week’s economic thesis, delivered. A look at Nigeria’s creative industries from Afrobeats to advertising, and the question of who owns, monetizes and scales African creative output. Speakers include Obi Asika, artist Qing Madi, and Carlo Murison. Friday, June 26, 2:00–2:30pm, The Forum at Rotonde. Badge holders.
One more for the strategists: “Cultural Curiosity: Three Minutes. Three Slides. Three Signals,” a fast-format trend session featuring Amiyra Perkins of Pinterest and Kojo Marfo of My Runway Group, among others. Monday, June 22, 1:30–2:15pm, The Terrace. Badge holders.
The week opens with Black Joy
The Black Joy Brunch returns for its third year, in partnership with Microsoft, at the Microsoft Gardens Stage on Monday, June 22, 11:00am–1:00pm (open, RSVP required). It is a deliberately celebratory start — fireside conversations and live music rather than a corporate room — and it has sold out in both prior editions. Past programming has drawn senior leaders across media and marketing; this is the soft landing before five days of Croisette intensity. RSVP early.
The night everyone will be talking about: Cannes After Dark
When the panels end, the Riviera turns over to the after-hours, and the standout this year is Cannes After Dark, presented by Black At and Eventnoire.
- When: Wednesday, June 24 — doors at 10:00 PM
- Where: NAYA Club, 15 Rue des Frères Pradignac, Cannes. The location is confirmed to RSVPs.
- Who: DJ Obi and Moonchild Sanelly, with a set spanning Afro House, Amapiano, R&B and global grooves
- Dress: To impress
- Powered by Obi’s House, Eventnoire, BLK@ and Moonchild Sanelly
The booking tells you everything about the room. Moonchild Sanelly is the South African artist behind the self-coined “future ghetto funk” — a fusion of gqom, amapiano, house and left-field pop. She appeared on Beyoncé’s The Lion King: The Gift on “My Power,” has recorded with Gorillaz and Major Lazer, and released her most personal album, Full Moon, in 2025. Pair her with DJ Obi and the Obi’s House sound, and Wednesday becomes the night the festival’s Black creative community is in one place, off the clock.
The Obi’s House and Black At pairing is no coincidence: it is the same Black At behind Friday’s “Culture to Capital” session at the Palais. The week’s argument about African creative ownership and the week’s best party come from the same people — which is rather the point.
Get tickets to Cannes After Dark →
Open the week: Autotune Karaoke Singoff
Before Wednesday peaks, Eventnoire opens the festival on Monday night with the Autotune Karaoke Singoff — Cannes Creator Meetup, in collaboration with Sprout Social.
- When: Monday, June 22 — 9:00 PM
- Where: Skyfall Cannes x Kingdom, 21 Boulevard de la République, Cannes
- Hosted by: Charles Beloved, with sounds by Gianni and Yannick Jones
This one puts the guests on the mic. Singers take classic R&B hits with live autotune running through the microphone, backed by professional sound engineering, lighting and a crowd that turns it into a proper performance rather than a back-room karaoke night. It is framed as a creator meetup, so it doubles as the week’s first real room for introductions — and the karaoke winner walks away with a gift from Microsoft. A sharp, low-stakes way to start the week before the Croisette gets serious.
Get tickets to the Autotune Karaoke Singoff →
About Black At Cannes
Black At is a global platform advancing inclusivity for Black professionals and women across advertising, brand management and technology. Its work is built on four pillars: education, connection, representation, and global B2B access the deal rooms, partnerships and cross-border relationships that move people from visibility to viability. At Cannes specifically, the organization has long pushed to increase the presence of Black jurors, speakers, nominees and attendees so the festival’s voting and stages better reflect the audiences the industry serves.
Where to Eat Between Sessions
Cannes dining runs from Michelin terraces to harbor-side fish to the kind of West African cooking that feels like a reset after three days of canapés. A few worth booking — and two, in particular, the culture should keep busy.
La Cocotte Riviera (West African · 29 Rue Jean Jaurès) The reset button. Attiéké and chicken, braised fish, pepper sauces and a playlist to match, run by an owner who treats the room like her living room. Festival-goers who found it in 2025 made it their first and last meal of the trip. Book ahead; it is small and word is out.
Chez Les Jumelles (African · 137 Bd de la République) A family-run spot a little off the seafront, near-perfect ratings, and the kind of from-scratch cooking people remember long after the badge comes off. Worth the short walk inland.
Restaurant La Palme d’Or (Michelin · Hôtel Martinez, 73 Bd de la Croisette) For the proper dinner — Southern French technique under Jean Imbert, served on a terrace that feels like dining on a yacht. Reserve well in advance and dress for it.
La Môme (Mediterranean · 6 Rue Florian) The scene. Beautifully run, theatrically busy, and where a good portion of the Croisette ends up after dark. Go for the energy as much as the plate, and reserve.
Riviera at Carlton Cannes (58 Bd de la Croisette) Polished seafront dining inside the Carlton, strong on seafood and service. A safe, elegant client dinner.
Le Suquet (Old Town) — for a slower evening away from the promenade, climb into Cannes’ old quarter. L’Assiette Provençale (grilled octopus, fish soup, honest Provençal cooking), Table 22 (a sharp wine list and a chef with Michelin pedigree), and Le rendez-vous des Copains (a husband-and-wife table that adopts you for the night) are all within a few cobbled streets.
Rooftops for the golden hour — Le Roof at the Five Seas Hotel and Marea above the old port both deliver the sunset-over-the-Med drink before you head to the night’s events.
Practical notes for the week
Getting in: Most Palais sessions need a badge. The Black-led activations at Microsoft Gardens and DEPT® Secret Garden are largely open with advance RSVP — register before you arrive, not when you land.
Move early: Brunches and fireside sessions sell out fastest. Lock the Black Joy Brunch and the Creator CEO talk first.
Plan the nights: Eventnoire bookends the week — the Autotune Karaoke Singoff opens Monday at 9 PM, and Cannes After Dark lands Wednesday at 10 PM with the location confirmed to RSVPs. Secure both spots ahead of time.
Eat inland once: The seafront is the seafront. One dinner at La Cocotte Riviera or Chez Les Jumelles will be the meal you talk about back home.
Cannes Lions has always been about access, visibility, and proximity to power. But for Black attendees, the most valuable version of the week is usually the one built with intention; the right rooms, the right people, and the events that understand culture as more than a talking point.
So yes, go to the keynote. Take the meeting. Make the dinner. But if you’re in Cannes this week and want the culture-forward itinerary, make sure Cannes After Dark is on it.
Pull up Wednesday, June 24.
RSVP for Cannes After Dark here: Eventnoire Cannes After Dark