CANNES, FRANCE – JUNE 17: A general view of the Cannes Croisette from the Palais des Festivals during the Cannes Lions International Festival Of Creativity 2024 – Day One on June 17, 2024 in Cannes, France. (Photo by Richard Bord/WireImage)
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I attended my first Cannes Lions last year. I RSVPed to anything I could get on the list and showed up with no real plan. It was overwhelming in the best and worst ways. What I needed was a focused guide to creator economy events specifically. This is that.
Cannes Lions 2026 runs June 22 through 26. More than 20 activations are built specifically around influencer marketing and the creator economy.
Monday, June 22
9:00 AM LIONS Creators Kick-Off Breakfast (Creators Stage, Palais des Festivals) The official start of the LIONS Creators programme. Ed Davidson, LIONS VP Chief Growth Officer, kicks things off with remarks, followed by a Q&A with Adobe and introductions from Cannes Lions Ambassadors. It sets the tone for the week.
10:00 AM Dear Gatekeeper Panel (DEPT Secret Garden, 5 Rdpt Duboys d’Angers) A live podcast recording that covers the creator economy, digital storytelling, music culture and how creators are redefining access and industry power. Gets released as a podcast after the festival, which is a nice touch.
12:00 PM The Creator Divide (Miramar Beach, 64 Bd de la Croisette) A panel on the growing split in the creator economy as AI reshapes content creation and what it means for audience trust, creativity and engagement. Creator Tom Scott is confirmed; additional speakers TBA.
12:00 PM The Creator Shift: Creator as Authority (WP Studio at Cannes, 29 Rue du Commandant Andre) An executive roundtable hosted by the Washington Post and Whalar Group on the future of influence and authority in a creator-led landscape. This one is off the beach and worth the walk.
12:30 PM Smarter Creativity, Stronger AI (TikTok Garden, Carlton Cannes, 58 Bd de la Croisette) First session of the TikTok Garden’s Monday lineup. The Garden runs noon to 5 PM Monday through Thursday and is one of the more tightly programmed spaces on the Croisette.
1:25 PM How Brands Turn Cultural Relevance into Lasting Growth (Rado Beach) Brand Innovators Summit panel with YouTube Creator Brandon Baum, Pamela Brown of Target and Zoe Housman (L’Oreal VP Influencer Strategy), moderated by Rick Song. Brand Innovators runs a four-day summit across Rado Beach, Armani Caffè and the LVMH Villa through Thursday.
2:30 PM The Creator Marketing Playbook with Canva (TikTok Garden, Carlton Cannes) How Canva turns organic brand love into high-performing campaigns using the TikTok One Content Suite.
3:00 PM Microsoft Creators Night (Palais Beach) Yusuf Mehdi of Microsoft and Mel Robbins on creativity, culture and technology, followed by a set from Sofi Tukker. The longest single event of the week.
3:00 PM UTA Beach Main Stage (Checkpoint 3, Palais des Festivals) Three back-to-back sessions: “Returning to Nostalgia in an AI-centric World” with Kate Bartlett, Nike’s Sari Katz and DBA’s Raina Penchansky; “Architecting a Modern Media Machine” with Jeffrey Housenbold (President, MrBeast Industries); and “Building a Digitally-Savvy Brand” with creator Olandria, poppi and CAVU Consumer Partners.
3:30 PM How Starbucks x TikTok Scales the Barista POV (TikTok Garden, Carlton Cannes)
3:30 PM Riches vs Niches: The Value of Community in Podcasting (LBB & Friends Beach) How podcast creators who own a vertical are commanding premium CPMs and deal structures that rival legacy media. Speakers: Mike Reznick (SoundStack), Chris Peterson (Red Seat Ventures), Billy Hartman (ART19) and Elsie Kaplan (ADOPTER Media).
4:30 PM From Creator to CEO: Building Scalable Brands With AI (Creators Stage, The Palais) Steven Bartlett (Diary of a CEO) and Adobe President David Wadhwani on how AI is reshaping who gets to build and scale brands. 30 minutes on the main Creators Stage.
4:30 PM Looking for the One on TikTok One (TikTok Garden, Carlton Cannes) TikTok pairing brands with the right creators in real time.
Tuesday, June 23
If Monday is about getting oriented, Tuesday is where the real work happens. It is easily the most programmatically dense day of the festival for anyone in the creator economy. The Creators & Culture block at Villa Alexandra alone runs 8 consecutive sessions, and that’s just one venue.
10:15 AM The Brand Voice Is a Shared Document Now (Creators & Culture, Villa Alexandra) When a brand has dozens of active creator partnerships, a real-time social team and an agency running a parallel campaign, who actually controls how the brand sounds? A practical conversation about governance in a multi-voice environment.
10:30 AM Building Iconic Brands Through Authentic Partnerships: From Creators to Commerce (Armani Caffè, 42 Bd de la Croisette) Brand Innovators Summit panel on how legacy brands are structuring long-term creator commerce programs. Speakers: Emilie Bridon (Microsoft), Karen Ehrlich (Estée Lauder), Anuj Chhabra (Pernod Ricard).
11:00 AM From Mic to Moment (Creators & Culture, Villa Alexandra) The case for serialized content why a recurring podcast or signature video series builds something that a one-off campaign simply cannot.
11:00 AM Sparking Creativity: How AI Is Redefining the Rules of Imagination (Miramar Beach, 64 Bd de la Croisette) Fireside with Simon Morris (Adobe VP International Marketing) and creator Brandon Baum on AI as a creative partner rather than a replacement.
11:45 AM Trust: How It Builds or Breaks a Brand (Creators & Culture, Villa Alexandra) Trust as a measurable asset. How it compounds over time, why it collapses fast and why you cannot buy it at any media rate.
12:00 PM Creator Experience (LinkedIn Rooftop, Carlton Cannes, 35 Bd de la Croisette) LinkedIn’s rooftop activation returns for a second day. Programming TBA.
12:30 PM The GLP-1 Effect (Creators & Culture, Villa Alexandra) How health creators turned a prescription drug into a cultural movement. Ozempic, Wegovy and “SkinnyTok” changed the way people talk about weight, wellness and consumption online. The session examines what that means for brands trying to show up credibly in a category defined by vulnerability.
2:45 PM The Comment Section Is the Brief (Creators & Culture, Villa Alexandra) The brands winning on social right now treat the comment section like a strategy document. This session is about building that feedback loop intentionally.
3:00 PM Creators Are Moving Culture, Is Your Spend Keeping Up? (Stagwell Sports Beach) An executive roundtable on why creator investment is still treated as an experimental line item by many buyers, and what they are missing.
3:30 PM Bring Creators to the F*cking Table (Creators & Culture, Villa Alexandra) The title says it. By the time most creators get briefed, the interesting decisions have already been made. This session is about what changes when they are in the room earlier.
3:45 PM Fan Edit to Full Time (TikTok Garden, Carlton Cannes) How brands with passionate TikTok fandoms give creators the tools to lead turning fan creativity into official roles.
4:15 PM Latin Creators Are Not a Trend (Creators & Culture, Villa Alexandra) Latinx creators have built massive audiences across every major platform. Brand investment, management infrastructure and partnership opportunities have not kept up. This session examines the gap.
4:15 PM How Mel Robbins Turns Ideas Into Movements (Creators Stage, The Palais) Mel Robbins in her Cannes debut. Her podcast was Apple’s No. 1 show in 2025 and a Golden Globe nominee. The session covers how she tests ideas through social posts, turns everyday observations into content that travels and structures brand partnerships at scale. 30 minutes.
4:45 PM Discovery vs. Belief: Where Does Brand Power Really Sit Today? (Rotonde Stage, The Palais) Based on Edelman’s latest Brand Trust Report, this one gets into how creator-driven platforms are pulling brand visibility and credibility apart. Speakers: Richard Edelman, Dan Roth (LinkedIn), Jim Squires (Reddit) and Tati Lindenberg (Unilever).
5:00 PM Let’s Talk Measurement… But Fun (Creators & Culture, Villa Alexandra) What brand marketers are actually using to justify creator spend when impressions and reach fall short. Brand lift, cultural influence and downstream revenue the frameworks that are actually working.
5:00 PM Forbes Top Creators List Launch Celebration (La Mandala Beach) The launch of the 2026 Forbes Top Creators list the definitive ranking of 50 powerful digital creators across TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Twitch and more.
5:00 PM Sunset Drinks (Groovz Cannes, 11 Rue Victor Cousin) Drinks and canapés for marketing leaders, agency executives and platform partners.
5:00 PM From Mic to Moment (Creators & Culture, Villa Alexandra) Closing panel on why serialized content remains one of the most undervalued brand opportunities in the market.
6:00 PM Creators & Culture Happy Hour (Villa Alexandra) Drinks, music and networking to close the day.
Wednesday, June 24
8:30 AM The Power of Belonging: Fandom, Creators, and the Rising Currency of Connection (Lucia Beach, Bd de la Croisette) “Creator TV: The New Franchise Economy” with Nic Paul (Spotter) and creator Airrack. “Cultural Agility: Scaling Impact in the Creator Era” with Ashley Gill (Mars Snacking), Moritz Bartsch (TikTok) and creator Chari Hawkins, moderated by Lisa Utzschneider (Integral Ad Science). Additional speakers: Michael Kassan (3C Ventures) and Steinberg (ZETA Global).
9:30 AM Creator Running Club (DEPT Secret Garden, 5 Rdpt Duboys d’Angers) DEPT’s argument is that the best conversations at Cannes happen when you are not sitting down. An early morning run with creators and industry leaders.
10:00 AM The Social Equation: From Community to Culture (Dentsu Beach House) Panel on the evolving intersection of social, creators, culture and performance. Limited space.
10:30 AM Creator Speed Dating: Brunch Edition (Dentsu Beach House) Creators and brands paired for structured one-on-one conversations immediately following the morning panel. One of the more practically useful formats of the week.
12:30 PM Maximize Discoverability with Creator-Powered Scale (TikTok Garden, Carlton Cannes) How TikTok’s brand discovery bundle pairs creator-powered momentum with always-on discovery pathways.
Evening Social & Creator Lions Awards Ceremony (Lumière Theatre, The Palais) The awards recognizing the best work in Creator Collaborations, Content Strategy, Community Building, Cross-Platform Storytelling and Excellence in Craft. LIONS Creators Beach is the official post-ceremony gathering point.
Thursday, June 25
12:30 PM The Creator-Marketer Mixer (Creators Stage, The Palais) The official LIONS Creators programme session for direct creator-brand conversations. 90 minutes on the main Creators Stage.
3:30 PM Cruising Into Culture: From Moment to Momentum (TikTok Garden, Carlton Cannes) TikTok and Virgin Voyages on how they built a creator-powered travel moment the full story of how it came together.
5:00 PM Creative Chemistry: When Creators and Brands Align (Hotel Martinez Beachfront, 73 Bd de la Croisette) Creators and brand leaders on what makes creative partnerships actually work and what gets in the way. 30 minutes.
All-Week Activations
These spaces run programming throughout the full festival week and are worth knowing about as home bases between sessions.
Adobe x LIONS Creator Beach (Palais Beach) The official LIONS Creators hub. Stage, content studio and meeting areas. June 22–26.
TikTok Garden (Carlton Cannes, 58 Bd de la Croisette) Mon–Thu noon–5 PM; Fri 9 AM–noon.
Pinterest Manifestival (Carlton Beach Club, 58 Bd de la Croisette) Mon 10 AM–5 PM; Tue–Thu 9 AM–5 PM.
Influential Beach (La Mandala Beach) June 22–24 from 8 AM.
Canva Creative Cabana (Vega La Plage, opposite The Carlton) June 22–25. 30+ sessions, 12 fringe events.
Brand Innovators Marketing Leadership Summit (Rado Beach, Armani Caffè, LVMH Villa) June 22–25.
Later Lounge (Location TBC) June 22–24. Small, curated sessions with marketers, creators and platform leaders.
VaynerX Chez Vayner Cafe (2 Pl. du General de Gaulle) June 22–26, all day.
ADWEEK House (Hotel Barriere Le Majestic) June 21–26. Creative 100 Reception Wednesday evening.
UTA Beach (Checkpoint 3, Palais des Festivals) June 22–25. Main Stage 3–5 PM daily, Executive Salons and happy hours Tue–Thu.
Tubi Cabana (Checkpoint Entry 3, Palais des Festivals) June 22–25, 10 AM–5 PM.
Opus Base (Hills of Super-Cannes, 15-minute walk from La Croisette) All week. One of the few off-Croisette creator spaces during the festival.
Wavelength Creator Pier (Opposite the Miramar Hotel) June 22–25. Bay tours, Lerins Island escapes and golden hour cruises.
Meta Beach (Plage Barrière Le Majestic Cannes) June 22 to 25 You’ll enjoy exclusive product demos, expert speakers, hands-on workshops and great conversations.
The Impact Lounge (La Muse Restaurant, Cannes) The Impact Lounge’s first full day at Cannes Lions. Panels, speaker conversations and an evening reception by the Mediterranean.
This list reflects confirmed and publicly announced events as of early June 2026 and will be updated as new information becomes available. Schedules are subject to change. Check individual event pages for the most current details.
