For four days and nights in the south of France dozens of brands descended on the Croisette for hosted “beaches” that brought top names from the entertainment, sports and tech worlds.
Antony Jones/Getty Images for Spotify
Cannes Lions’ 2025 conference was a starry affair in the south of France. For four days and nights, dozens of brands descended on the Croisette for hosted “beaches” that brought top names from the entertainment, sports and tech worlds.
Between panel discussions, yacht parties, concerts and even a stand-up show, an array of programs offered something for everyone — so long as you had the right wristband.
The Hollywood Reporter was on the ground for the revelry, which included standout performances by Cardi B and Lola Young for Spotify, a late-night disco soundtracked by DJ D-Nice (with Mary J. Blige in attendance to convey her appreciation for his COVID-era music sets as Curb Your Enthusiasm star JB Smoove cheered along), the ultra-exclusive UTA-Medialink bash held at the luxe Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc and THR‘s own Marketing Power Players bash aboard the Kismet superyacht.
Read on for more on the sights and sounds of the marketing world’s biggest confab.
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UTA, Medialink and DoorDash Ads’ Executive Evening at Hotel Du Cap-Eden-Roc
Image Credit: Photo Credit: Pierrick Rocher/BFA.com Perhaps the most coveted invitation at Cannes Lions was the ultra-exclusive UTA Medialink DoorDash Ads party held at Hotel Du Cap-Eden-Roc on Tuesday. Clients like Patrick Schwarzenegger were among those in attendance.
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UTA, Medialink and DoorDash Ads’ Executive Evening at Hotel Du Cap-Eden-Roc
Image Credit: Photo Credit: Pierrick Rocher/BFA.com James Brownstein, Beaux Avril, Leslie Berland and Oren Rosenbaum at the UTA Medialink DoorDash Ads party, which drew a host of entertainers from across the film, TV, music and creators worlds.
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UTA, Medialink and DoorDash Ads’ Executive Evening at Hotel Du Cap-Eden-Roc
Image Credit: Photo Credit: Pierrick Rocher/BFA.com Will.I.Am at the UTA Medialink DoorDash Ads party.
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UTA, Medialink and DoorDash Ads’ Executive Evening at Hotel Du Cap-Eden-Roc
Image Credit: Photo Credit: Pierrick Rocher/BFA.com Entrepreneur Bethenny Frankel at the UTA Medialink DoorDash Ads party.
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UTA, Medialink and DoorDash Ads’ Executive Evening at Hotel Du Cap-Eden-Roc
Image Credit: Photo Credit: Pierrick Rocher/BFA.com The event featured a DJ set by St. Vincent.
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UTA, Medialink and DoorDash Ads’ Executive Evening at Hotel Du Cap-Eden-Roc
Image Credit: Photo Credit: Pierrick Rocher/BFA.com UTA CEO David Kramer (left) with Sebastian Maniscalco.
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UTA, Medialink and DoorDash Ads’ Executive Evening at Hotel Du Cap-Eden-Roc
Image Credit: Photo Credit: Pierrick Rocher/BFA.com Josh Duhamel was another one of the UTA-repped clients in attendance at Hotel Du Cap-Eden-Roc.
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UTA, Medialink and DoorDash Ads’ Executive Evening at Hotel Du Cap-Eden-Roc
Image Credit: Photo Credit: Pierrick Rocher/BFA.com Matthew Hiltzik, Linda Yaccarino and Jeff Houseinbold at the UTA Medialink DoorDash Ads party, which was also attended by Jon M. Chu and Ludacris.
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NBCUniversal Takeover of the Iconic FreeWheel Beach – Vive le Live
Image Credit: Photo Credit: @laphotoparty Savannah Guthrie announced the inaugural Today Fan Fest coming this fall that builds upon NBCUniversal’s experiential chops in an incredible new fan experience.
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NBCUniversal Takeover of the Iconic FreeWheel Beach – Vive le Live
Image Credit: Photo Credit: @laphotoparty Jimmy Fallon and Bozoma Saint John showcased NBC’s entirely new show — On Brand With Jimmy Fallon, that gives audiences a never-before-seen look into the world of advertising, in a fun, competition-reality style series.
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NBCUniversal Takeover of the Iconic FreeWheel Beach – Vive le Live
Image Credit: Photo Credit: @laphotoparty Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers spotlighted the importance of brands aligning in cultural moments and celebrated their Las Culturistas Culture Awards coming to Bravo this August.
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Spotify Beach
Image Credit: Photo Credit: Antony Jones/Getty Images for Spotify “Messy” singer Lola Young performed at Spotify Beach, which has gained a reputation as a destination for music enthusiasts at Cannes Lions, and this year was no different. Backstage, Lola Young and Cardi B were introduced as Will.I.Am stood by with new music to audition for Cardi.
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Spotify Beach
Image Credit: Photo Credit: Antony Jones/Getty Images for Spotify During the day, Paris Hilton joined Louis Theroux and Spotify’s Emma Vaughn for a conversation on the art of storytelling across formats and platforms.
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Spotify Beach
Image Credit: Photo Credit: Antony Jones/Getty Images for Spotify Paris Hilton struck a pose at Spotify Beach on Monday.
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Spotify Beach
Image Credit: Photo Credit: Dave Benett/Getty Images for Spotify Winnie Harlow attends Spotify’s intimate evening of music and culture, featuring a performance from Charlie Puth.
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Spotify Beach
Image Credit: Photo Credit: Dave Benett/Getty Images for Spotify Mark Ronson joins Spotify’s Dustee Jenkins for a conversation exploring how authenticity can spark emotional connection and drive meaningful engagement in the attention economy.
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Spotify Beach
Image Credit: Photo Credit: Antony Jones/Getty Images for Spotify Boasting live performances nightly, Spotify Beach also featured a stellar set from newcomer Sombr, who hightailed to Cannes following a performance in Prague earlier in the night.
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Spotify Beach
Image Credit: Photo Credit: Dave Benett/Getty Images for Spotify Mark Ronson, seen here with Diplo (left), DJ’d the final night at Spotify Beach but all eyes (and ears) were also tuned in to the turntable stylings of Spotify’s own AI DJ Xavier “X” Jernigan, whose familiar voice elicited double takes throughout the night.
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Spotify Beach
Image Credit: Photo Credit: Dave Benett/Getty Images for Spotify Oscar-winning composer Ludwig Göransson was among the audience for the Spotify Beach concerts at night and also participated in Spotify’s daytime panels.
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Spotify Beach
Image Credit: Photo Credit: Antony Jones/Getty Images for Spotify The crowds came out en masse for Cardi B, who debuted her new song, “Outside,” for an ecstatic audience of fans. Word is her long-awaited album is mixed and set for mastering, to which we say, it’s about time!
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THR’s Marketing Power Players
Image Credit: Photo Credit: Casey Culver Shad Khan, James Blake and Jameela Jamil gathered around the piano at THR‘s Marketing Power Players event.
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THR’s Marketing Power Players
Image Credit: Photo Credit: Casey Culver From left: PMC’s senior vp operations and finance, Jerry Ruiz; Monica Martin; THR’s vp events and talent relations, Curtis Thompson; THR’s senior vp sales and brand strategy, Liz Culley; Shad Khan; Jameela Jamil; THR co-editor-in-chief Shirley Halperin; James Blake; and THR publisher Lori O’Connor at THR’s Marketing Power Players event.
