This year, organizers face additional concerns that recent protests over President Emmanuel Macron’s pension reforms will affect the festivities.
Local officials told AFP that all protests around the Croisette have been banned during the event, the same as in previous years.
But the CGT union has vowed to make its presence felt – threatening last month to cut power during the festival and announcing a “decided” protest in front of the famous Carlton Hotel on Friday.
The famous red carpet, 60 meters (yards) long, will be rolled out on Tuesday. These days, pointing to environmental concerns, the approximately 1,400 kg carpet has been cut into two to save its size.