Whether it’s a cold glass of bubbly at golden hour, a perfectly bitter drink between shows, or a cocktail that spills over into a late-night deal, these are the places insiders arrive as soon as the cameras stop flashing.
Martinez Bar
Martinez Hotel
73 Boulevard de la Croisette
Opened in March 2025, Martinez Bar is a vinyl-front themed bar that has quickly become the room of choice for a crowd that finds hotel lobbies too barren. The room is intimate without feeling small, close but not stuffy, and appropriate for the kind of conversations Cannes has. The signature Black Swan with Cîroc vodka, apricot liqueur, sambuca and a single coffee bean is exactly the kind of drink this room deserves. Rare vinyl turns after midnight, but so do heads and industry chatter.
Carlton Beach Club
Carlton Hotel Cannes, Regent Hotel
58 Boulevard de la Croisette
In Cannes, the question isn’t whether you’ll end up at the Carlton Beach Club, but how long you’ll stay there. By late afternoon, the houseboat is filled with producers, studio executives, filmmakers and models who have flown in from a yacht. The arrangement is instinctive: a Provençal rose, something from the grill and a bench facing the Mediterranean. During festival season, the Beach Club becomes a natural extension of the Croisette, filled with long lunches, industry conversations and sunset sips overlooking the bay.
Campari Lounge
Palace of Festivals and Conferences
1 Boulevard de la Croisette
Now in its fifth year as an official partner of Cannes, Campari has made the lounge one of the most sought-after invitations to the Croisette. Located inside the Palais des Festivals with a direct view of the red carpet, this space holds talks with filmmakers and live podcast recordings during the day, then transforms into a proper cocktail scene by evening. The featured drink this year is the “Red Carpet, Cannes Edition,” a Negroni made with hibiscus-infused Campari, bittersweet chocolate vermouth, and Courvoisier VSOP.
Le Speak Easy Can
22 rue Latour Maubourg
Once dinner service fades, Le Speakeasy Cannes transforms into one of the festival’s liveliest late-night scenes. Located just off the Croisette, this supper club-style venue attracts a crowd of people looking for something a little more fun than the hotel bars. Espresso martinis and champagne cocktails are frequent orders as live music spreads across velvet banquettes and candlelit tables. By midnight the dinner party has given way to dancing, and the last call does not come until four in the morning or until dawn, depending on the sentiment.
Eden Rock Restaurant Terrace
Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc
167 Boulevard JFK, Antibes
No trip to Cannes is complete without cocktails at the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc. The legendary Antibes property is a place where festival organizers have long looked to escape the chaos of the Croisette. On the terrace of Eden-Roc, classic martinis arrive cold and unhurried, olives are delicious, and the Mediterranean Sea stretches through the pine trees. By late afternoon, those in the know come in and settle down at shaded tables while servers glide across the terrace, carrying trays full of negronis ready for sunset.
