Every May, Cannes goes through twelve extraordinary days. The Festival draws more than 35,000 accredited professionals, tens of thousands of film fans and the world's press to a narrow stretch of coast with only so many hotel beds. The outcome is predictable: demand for accommodation soars, supply can't stretch, and nightly rates take off. If you own a property in or near Cannes, it is the most profitable week of the year, as long as you understand how this market works and get ready several months ahead.
This article answers a simple question: how much can you really earn by letting an apartment in Cannes during the Festival, and how do you go about it? We cover typical prices, the periods that matter (the Festival isn't the only event), the rules you need to follow and how to plan ahead. All the figures below come from our own view of the local market and from managing our properties on the French Riviera.
Why prices soar during the Cannes Film Festival
It's a classic tight market: demand leaps and supply can't keep up. Cannes has around 73,000 residents out of season. During the Festival, the town and the surrounding area take in a huge influx of film professionals, buyers from the film market, journalists, technical crews and visitors. Hotels in the centre and on the Croisette are booked up months ahead, at record rates. The overflow lands on private holiday lets and managed residences.
Three things push prices up at once:
- Genuine scarcity: there are only so many properties within a 20-minute walk of the Palais des Festivals. The closer you get to the Croisette and the rue d'Antibes, the tighter it gets.
- Deep pockets: many guests (production companies, distributors, luxury brands hosting evening events) are spending a business budget, not a holiday budget. Price isn't their first concern; location and availability are.
- Fixed dates: the event runs over a set period and nobody can move their dates, so all the demand lands on the same nights.
To put numbers on it: over summer 2026 (June to August), our Cannes properties let for an average of €134 a night, with 81% of available nights booked ("Saison 2026 Azur" report, Lodgify). During the Festival in May, nightly rates can rise by a factor of 3 to 6, depending on location, standard and size. A well-placed studio that lets for €150 a night in April can fetch €500-700 a night during the Festival; a large high-end apartment near the Croisette can go well beyond several thousand euros a night.
A sense of scale
The table below shows indicative ranges seen on the Cannes market. They are not guaranteed rates: they vary with the year, the line-up, the exact location and the quality of the property. Treat them as a guide.
| Property type | Average night (off season) | Night during the Festival | Multiplier | Indicative income, 12 nights |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Well-located studio | ~€150 | 450 – €700 | x3 – x4,5 | 5 400 – €8,400 |
| One-bedroom apartment near the centre | ~€210 | 700 – €1,200 | x3,5 – x5,5 | 8 400 – €14,400 |
| High-end two-bedroom apartment | ~€320 | 1 300 – €2,200 | x4 – x6 | 15 600 – €26,400 |
| Prestige apartment (Croisette) | ~€600 | €3,000 and over | x5 – x6+ | €36,000 and over |
The message is clear: a single Festival week can earn as much as several months of ordinary letting. For a one-bedroom apartment, €8,000 to €14,000 over twelve nights is what the same property would make in two to four months of standard holiday letting. That is exactly why this period matters so much: it carries far more weight than any other in a Cannes property's annual return.
The Festival isn't the only peak: Cannes' big events calendar
Putting everything into May would be a mistake. Cannes is a conference town, with major trade events all year round. Each one creates its own spike in demand and prices: shorter and less dramatic than the Festival, but real. Handled well, this calendar gives you several high-value windows a year, not just one.
| Event | Typical timing | Guest profile | Price pressure |
|---|---|---|---|
| MIPIM (international property) | March | Investors, developers, officials, construction | Very high |
| Cannes Film Festival | May | Film, press, brands, production | Extreme (peak of the year) |
| Cannes Lions (creativity / advertising) | June | Agencies, media, tech, marketing | Very high |
| MIDEM (historically music) | Variable | Music industry | High |
| MIPCOM (TV / audiovisual content) | October | Distributors, channels, studios | High |
| MIPIM, medical and corporate conferences | All year | B2B professionals | Moderate to high |
MIPIM in March and Cannes Lions in June are especially worth targeting: they bring business guests with serious spending power, on short stays, who want to be right in the centre. MIPCOM in October stretches the season well past the summer holidays. As an owner, the goal is to build your letting calendar around these dates rather than rely on summer alone. It's one of the levers we use as a matter of course on the Cannes properties we manage.
For a wider view of the town's rental potential outside these peaks, our dedicated page covers the Cannes market in detail: see holiday letting in Cannes.
How much can you really make? A worked example
Let's take a real-world case and go from the advertised rate to the money in your pocket. Picture a good-quality one-bedroom apartment, a 10-minute walk from the Palais, let for all twelve nights of the Festival.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Nightly rate during the Festival | €900 |
| Nights let | 12 |
| Gross rental income | €10,800 |
| Cleaning (premium flat rate, partly recharged) | – €250 |
| Management commission (20% excl. VAT) | – €2,160 |
| Consumables, luxury linen, welcome | – €150 |
| Owner's net income (before tax) | ≈ €8,240 |
Over €8,000 net for twelve nights, from one property, in one period of the year. And these figures are deliberately cautious: a spot closer to the Croisette, a strong line-up or a bigger property will push them higher. On the other hand, a property that is poorly prepared, badly photographed or listed too late will capture only a fraction of that potential. That's why method matters.
To estimate what your own property could earn over the year (Festival included), try our income simulator, built on our real data by town and property type.
A free, tailored estimate in 2 minutes, with no obligation.
The rules: registration, tax and building regulations
Letting during the Festival is still short-term furnished letting, and the same rules apply as for the rest of the year. Three points need your attention.
Town hall registration and tourist tax
In Cannes, as in every municipality where the rules apply, any furnished holiday let (meublé de tourisme) needs a prior declaration to the town hall. This gives you a registration number, which must appear on your listings. The tourist tax (taxe de séjour) is payable and collected from guests. These obligations apply whether you let for twelve nights or all year. The detailed rules (change-of-use authorisation, quotas, annual caps) differ from one town to the next and change regularly, so check your exact position with your town hall and your accountant before you start.
Tax on rental income
Income from furnished letting is taxed under the BIC regime (bénéfices industriels et commerciaux, industrial and commercial profits), with several options (micro-BIC, the flat-rate allowance scheme; régime réel, the actual-expenses regime). The right one depends on your rental income, your costs and your wider financial position. We deliberately don't go into thresholds and rates here: they change, and every case is different. Get your tax regime checked by an accountant: it's often where several hundred euros are won or lost.
Building rules
Make sure your building's rules (règlement de copropriété) allow short-term furnished letting. Some buildings restrict or ban it. Checking first avoids disputes, especially as the Festival is such a high-profile time and tends to attract attention.
For a fuller, regularly updated overview of local obligations (including changes to the change-of-use rules), see our holiday letting management page.
Plan ahead: the ideal preparation timeline
Festival profits aren't made during the Festival. They're made in the months before. Demand for those twelve nights in May starts building in winter: regulars book early, and the best properties go first, at the best rates. List your property in April and you've missed the boat.
Here is the timeline we recommend, and follow ourselves.
| Time before the Festival | Action | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 4 to 6 months before (winter) | Prepare the property, professional photos, strong listing, set target rate | Catch early bookings from regulars at the best price |
| 3 to 4 months before | Go live on the right channels, dynamic pricing | Be visible when business demand firms up |
| 1 to 2 months before | Adjust prices to bookings, handle enquiries | Get top rates for the last, most sought-after dates |
| Festival week | Check-in, premium cleaning, on-site management, guest support | Ensure a flawless stay and great reviews |
Three things make the difference to your final income:
- Photos and the listing: business guests compare fast. Poor photos put people off, however good the location. A polished listing justifies a premium rate.
- Dynamic pricing: fixing one price three months ahead leaves money on the table. The right rate moves with bookings and with market pressure. It's a skill in its own right, which we explain in our article on dynamic pricing.
- Welcome and logistics: during the Festival, everything has to be perfect. One botched check-in or sloppy clean, and the review it earns will follow you all next year. On-site management, quick help when something goes wrong and a high-end welcome are what count.
Do it yourself or hand it over?
An organised owner can let their property during the Festival on their own. But this is the period where every challenge hits at once: precise pricing over a very short window, demanding business guests, fast turnovers, a high-end welcome, and local competition that is often professionally managed. The income gap between a property that is "just listed" and one that is managed with a clear method can easily run into thousands of euros over those twelve nights.
That's where a holiday rental management company like Azur Hébergements comes in. We prepare the property in advance, set and fine-tune the rate, market it, look after guests and make sure the welcome is flawless, so you get the Festival's full potential without giving up your time. Our commission is 20% excl. VAT for holiday lets (see our fees); during Festival week, it's date-by-date pricing that makes the difference (see dynamic pricing).
To see whether handing over your property makes sense more generally, read our analysis: is an Airbnb management company worth it?
In short
For a well-placed owner, the Cannes Film Festival is the most profitable event of the year: rates three to six times higher, and twelve nights' income that can match several months of ordinary letting. But that potential only pays off for properties that are prepared early, priced right and run flawlessly. Cannes also offers several other windows through the year, MIPIM, Cannes Lions, MIPCOM, which deserve the same attention.
If you own an apartment in or around Cannes and want to make the most of it, the easiest first step is to ask us for a personal estimate. We'll show you, with figures, what your property could earn during the Festival and across the year. Hand over your property or ask for an estimate.
Find out more about our holiday rental management in Cannes and our management fees.
