Palais des Festivals et des Congrès

Palais des Festivals et des Congres is the bulky event building at the western end of the Croisette in Cannes, opened in 1982. Architects Sir Hubert Bennett and Francois Druet designed a sober complex of more than 35,000 square metres that earned the local nickname Le Bunker. Every May the famous open staircase in front of the entrance turns into probably the most-filmed red carpet in the world for the Cannes Film Festival; the paving stones below carry handprints of countless stars. The rest of the year hosts conferences, yacht and ad-industry fairs, MIPIM and MIPCOM. Visiting outside the festival, you can walk over the cinema stars on the esplanade with the Mediterranean at your back.