What We Saw at Cannes Lions 2026

This year marked the biggest Cannes Lions yet for experiential. Beyond the activations themselves, the industry took centre stage through dedicated panel discussions and side events celebrating the role of brand experience. 

While AI continued to dominate conversations across the festival, many brands demonstrated that the most effective way to bring emerging technology to life was through tangible, real-world experiences. 

With global brands vying for attention, the activations that stood out weren't always the loudest. More often than not, they were the ones that understood what attendees needed in the moment. 

Utility became part of the experience. Across the festival, brands offered everything from practical tools and thoughtful giveaways to hands-on demonstrations and meaningful conversations. 

While delivering our fourth consecutive Cannes Lions activation for Netflix and The New York Times' biggest presence at the festival to date, our team spent the week exploring the experiences that cut through the noise. 

Pinterest Manifestival  

Guided by Pinterest's "Less URL, More IRL" philosophy, Manifestival embodied the platform's core purpose by encouraging guests to step away from their screens and turn inspiration into action. Designed as a real-life Pinterest board, the experience invited attendees to see, taste, wear and create the trends they discovered. 

One of the week's most talked-about moments came from The Pinterest Tattoo Parlour, where visitors chose trend-inspired designs to take home as permanent souvenirs of Cannes. Even our Managing Director couldn't resist, leaving the Croisette with a Pinterest tattoo of her own. 

Guests could also experiment with self-expression at ‘Bleach Club’, trying temporary hair colour transformations based on the latest Pinterest trends. The ‘Offline Social Club’ encouraged visitors to disconnect from their devices, whether by picking up a book or sending a Pinterest postcard home to a loved one. In partnership with Adobe, Pinterest Visual Search Studio invited visitors to discover their personal aesthetic using handheld scanners, affectionately dubbed "Pinterest search bars", while Pinterest Patisserie brought Pinterest Predicts to life with personalised desserts tailored to each guest's tastes. 

Rather than simply showcasing its platform, Pinterest translated the way people use it into real-world experiences, with every touchpoint rooted in its trends, data, behaviours and tools. 

Delivery: Amplify 

FQ Beach

The Female Quotient hosted its largest Cannes Lions presence yet, expanding beyond its signature lounge and introducing FQ Beach, a relaxed beachfront retreat designed to anticipate attendees’ needs. 

With the realities of Cannes Lions in mind, the space offered everything from sunscreen stations and cold refreshments to electrolytes and snacks. 

The week kicked off with a dynamic panel on ‘The Power of Experiential Connection,’ featuring Patricia Corsi (Kimberly-Clark), Sheyna Bruckner (Sparks), Judy Lee (Pinterest), and Imani Ellis (CultureCon). Their conversation set the tone for the week with a focus on building meaningful connections, followed by a lively happy hour celebrating experiential industry leaders. Throughout the week, guests heard from a predominantly female lineup of accomplished speakers, including Fabiola Torres (Gap), Julia Goldin (The LEGO Group), five-time Olympian Hilary Knight and Oprah Winfrey. 

Beyond the stage, partnership-led activations extended the experience. Guests cooled off at the ‘Frosé Cart’, while the ‘Snapchat Charm Bar’ turned personalised bracelets into one of the week's keepsakes and the ‘Content Cabana’, created with #paid, invited attendees to spin and win content creation essentials, including ring lights, microphones and travel tripods. 

FQ Beach demonstrated the power of designing with people in mind. As a female-founded agency ourselves, it was inspiring to see an organisation championing women while creating space for meaningful connection, collaboration and community. 

Delivery: Seed 

Canva Creative Cabana

With creativity woven into every corner, Canva Creative Cabana brought a bright, colourful beachside aesthetic to the Croisette, creating a welcoming experience from the moment attendees arrived.  

Meeting hubs overlooked the seafront, while a packed programme of talks and sessions ran throughout the week. One of our favourite sessions was from VERB, a female founded creative agency. Kindra Meyer left the audience feeling empowered, offering unfiltered creative advice on navigating project briefs and clients. 

 The Magic Moodbar served juices for when brains, as Canva put it, needed "colour, not caffeine", while La Palette Gelateria matched attendees with their "brand flavour". 

The activation also showcased Canva's latest AI tools through hands-on experiences. At the Postcard Parlour, guests used Canva AI to create personalised postcards, one to send home and one to leave behind for others to discover. Dream Destinations invited visitors to design their own travel posters using the platform's AI capabilities. 

Rather than simply demonstrating its latest features, Canva encouraged attendees to discover them through creativity, seamlessly integrating product education into part of the experience. 

Delivery: Jimmy Knowles (Canva) 

Amazon Port

Amazon transformed Port de Cannes into a charming French village, uniting Prime Video & Amazon MGM Studios, Amazon Live, IMDb, Wondery and more in one cohesive destination. Instead of focusing on a single hero activation, the space encouraged guests to slow down, wander and discover something new around every corner. 

The Amazon Café & Newsstand offered a welcome pause from the Croisette, serving coffee alongside La Gazette des Partenaires, Amazon’s own Cannes newspaper, the Prime Video Bookshop blended physical and digital storytelling by concealing digital screens within a curated, library-inspired setting and the IMDb Studio transformed guests into personalised movie posters through bespoke caricatures.  

Amazon Live invited attendees to the front of the camera for a creator-inspired content experience, while the Alexa Concierge, demonstrated Alexa+ through simple everyday interactions while serving champagne to guests.  

One of our favourite activations was Wondery’s Gratitude Garden, which encouraged reflection by asking visitors to plant paper flowers inspired by The Oprah Podcast – a hands-on moment in amongst all the Cannes chaos, that encouraged reflection and meaningful participation. 

Despite bringing together a broad portfolio of brands, Amazon Port never felt fragmented. Every activation fit naturally within the wider environment, creating a beautifully crafted world that encouraged visitors to explore the Amazon ecosystem at their own pace.  

Delivery: Salt Productions & DesignScene 

Meta Beach 

Returning to the Croisette, Meta Beach placed technology at the heart of the experience, with digital touchpoints woven throughout the activation. Even ordering electrolyte water became part of the journey, while meeting spaces and an outdoor exploration area invited attendees to discover the latest gadgets, including a display showcasing the Ray-Ban Meta glasses. 

The Meta Creator Sandbox explored the intersection of human creativity and AI, giving attendees the opportunity to experiment with Meta's latest creative tools in a hands-on environment. Collaboration was another defining theme across the space, with the guest experience shaped by creators from food, floral, fashion, wellness and the visual arts, including Maurice Harris, Cédric Grolet, Laila Gohar, Louis Rubi, Yuki Kawae and Ellen Sheidlin, showcasing diverse creative perspectives at every touchpoint from the BA uniforms to food served across the activation. 

What stood out to us was that, although technology powered the activation, creative collaborations made digital-first innovation feel tangible, relatable and culturally connected. 

Delivery: Jack Morton