Festival de Cannes

Cannes is a market and an industry event with a red carpet attached; the general public cannot buy tickets to the main competition. What the public can do is watch films on the beach for free at the Cinéma de la Plage each evening, attend the parallel Quinzaine and Semaine de la Critique with limited passes, and stand behind a barrier on the Croisette.

The Palme d'Or has an unusually strong record of picking films that last, which is why the festival still matters despite its closed structure.