Cannes Lions 2020 cancelled as organisers hold back festival and awards until 2021

The festival was initially postponed to October from its regular slot in June amid the growing spread of coronavirus and subsequent cancellation of many other global events.

Now,festival owner Ascential has confirmed that the next edition of Cannes Lions will skip a year, with plans now set in stone to move to 21 to 25 June 2021.

Philip Thomas, chairman of Cannes Lions said the “difficult decision” followed in-depth consultations with the event's partners and customers and reflected the unprecedented societal, health and economic challenges currently facing the world. He added that organisers also wanted to remove any uncertainty about the running of associated awards and event for its partners and customers.

“Cannes Lions at its core has always been about creativity and the Lions. We realise that the creative community has other challenges to face, and simply isn’t in a position to put forward the work that will set the benchmark,” explained Thomas.

“The marketing and creative industries, in common with so many others, are currently in turmoil, and it’s clear that we can play our small part by removing all speculation about the festival this year.

"We have tried to make our decisions as early as possible to give the industry total clarity on the situation, and that is why we are announcing this move today.”