The Cannes planning guide · 21–25 June 2027
A branded ice cream cart that gives people something to make. A coffee bar that becomes a meeting point. A truck that turns a campaign into a place people can actually visit. At Cannes Lions, the best starting point is what you want your guests to do, feel and remember.
Planning a brand activation for Cannes Lions 2027, taking place from 21–25 June? Rolling Minds brings together experiential food and drink, branded trucks and carts, bespoke production and event teams. We work directly with brands and alongside agencies, whether the brief is one beautifully executed element or a wider experience.
Start with the guest
What should your Cannes Lions brand activation achieve?
A launch, a creator gathering and a client reception need different experiences. Decide whether the priority is a useful conversation, product trial, a booked meeting or a hands-on brand interaction. Then build the format around it.
Branded truck
A recognisable campaign focal point with room for a service counter or product experience. Start with the site, access route and footprint.
Ice cream cart or trike
A compact hospitality or sampling moment for an approved event space. Match the menu and staffing to the pace of your guests.
Pop-up bar
Coffee, juices, slushies or cocktails woven into a cabana, terrace or reception. Plan storage and replenishment alongside the guest-facing design.
Bespoke branded build
A more immersive environment for participation, demonstrations or meetings. Design the structure, signage and guest journey together.
The same idea can work at different scales. A brand-led flavour, distinctive serving ritual or personalised takeaway can make a compact activation feel considered without needing a large footprint.
Make something worth stopping for
Ice cream cart hire for Cannes Lions
If you are looking to hire an ice cream cart in Cannes, look beyond the cart itself. The menu, branding, service speed and interaction all shape the experience. A pre-prepared ice lolly suits a quick handover; made-to-order ice cream rolls create a longer moment to watch and talk; soft serve offers a base for custom toppings and branded finishing touches.
For Identity at Cannes Lions, we brought live ice-lolly art to an Adobe Firefly-inspired activation. Guests chose a flavour, stencil and colour before their ice cream was decorated in front of them. Our scope included bespoke stencils, custom branded boxes, the cart and parasol, plus on-site staffing.
It is a useful example of experiential catering: the food becomes part of the participation, rather than something collected on the way past. For a 2027 brief, we can explore branded cups, cone sleeves, wafers, packaging and menu ideas around your campaign, then confirm what works for the chosen equipment and location.
Give the campaign a home
Branded truck hire and promotional vehicles in Cannes
A fully branded truck gives an activation a clear visual identity and a natural place for guests to gather. It can support sampling, a product launch or a hospitality concept, but the vehicle must be chosen around the approved space and the service inside it.
At Cannes Lions 2025, we worked with Verve Live agency on the Smirnoff Ice activation. Rolling Minds supplied the branded vehicle only. Verve Live handled everything else, including the drinks, staffing and props.
That distinction matters when you are appointing suppliers. You may need an asset-only hire to fit your agency’s production, or a truck with branding, menu, staffing and delivery managed together. We can discuss either route and define the responsibilities clearly in the proposal.
Ask about the vehicle’s dimensions, service layout, power requirements, transport and installation method before signing off a design. A promotional truck is not automatically a drive-around activation: its permitted use and movement need to be confirmed for the site.
See the Smirnoff Ice truck → / Explore brand activation design and production →
Hospitality with a purpose
Cannes Lions catering hire: coffee, food and branded refreshment
Catering works hardest when it fits the programme. Breakfast and barista coffee can support morning meetings. Fresh juices, ice cream and frozen drinks suit daytime hospitality. Canapés, bowl food or a cocktail menu can shape a reception or happy hour. Start with when people arrive, how long they stay and whether they need a meal or a small refreshment.
Beacons AI: a coffee bar with its own identity
For Beacons AI at Cannes Lions, we delivered a branded, full-service coffee bar, including the set build and structural production. The striped counter, branded cups and barista service made the coffee stop part of the brand environment.
LinkedIn: coffee, ice lollies and a warmer welcome
Our LinkedIn work at Cannes has brought together iced coffee, ice lollies, branded builds and custom cups. A coffee counter gives guests a reason to pause; an ice lolly adds a lighter touch to the daytime programme. Both can be designed to sit naturally within the wider brand environment.
This is not a one-year story. Our 2024 Cannes round-up also features LinkedIn hospitality with personalised macarons, iced coffees and fresh juices. The formats change with the brief, but the aim stays practical: welcome guests well and make space for conversation. Explore our LinkedIn Cannes work →
Explore the Beacons AI coffee bar → / See our experiential food and drink services →
Frozen cocktails, slushies and alcohol-free options
For Vercel, our pop-up slushie bar served frozen coffee, frosé and lemon slushies in custom-branded cups. For The Female Quotient, we supplied frozen rosé in branded pouches. Two different presentations, each developed to sit naturally within the client’s event.
For your own brief, consider how the flavour, colour, vessel and service ritual work together. Plan alcohol-free choices with the same attention as the cocktail menu, and agree dietary requirements, ingredient information and service arrangements before production.
See Vercel’s slushie bar → / See The Female Quotient’s frosé experience →
Adweek: frozen cocktails at the kick-off soirée
For Adweek at Cannes Lions, our signature pans served frozen cocktails and mocktail slushies at the kick-off soirée. We branded the pans and serving cups so the refreshment was part of the event identity, not a separate catering station.
It is another way to make service part of the experience: guests can see their refreshment being prepared, then take away a cup that belongs to the occasion. See the Adweek frozen-cocktail activation →
Beyond the menu
Experiential production and bespoke brand spaces
Food and drink can be the starting point for a larger idea. We also design and produce the physical details that hold an experience together, from a branded counter to a bespoke stand, event signage and guest-facing assets.
Superside: from the build to the bracelet
For Superside at Adweek during Cannes Lions, we designed and built a fully branded setup for a complimentary jewellery experience with an on-site jeweller. The pink-and-green counter, striped backdrop and overhead branding gave the activity a distinctive setting, with space for guests to sit down and take part.
The delivery is as important as the finished photograph. Our team brought the physical setup together on site, from fitting the fascia to preparing the guest-facing space. The result connected a bold brand environment with a personal, hands-on experience.
For a bespoke Cannes build, this is a useful starting point: decide what people will actually do in the space, then design the counter, surfaces, branding and access around that activity. The interaction should feel as considered as the exterior.
Creator Brand Space: one identity, across every detail
For the Creator Brand Space with Billion Dollar Boy, FiveTwoNine and Patreon, we designed custom features for the DJ booth and bar. We also managed production of branded cushions, deckchairs, fans, wristbands, disposable cameras, postcards, a postbox and large signage.
The work went beyond one hero backdrop. The same identity ran through the furniture guests used, the objects they picked up and the setting around the music and conversations. That consistency matters when a brand wants a shared hospitality space to feel like its own.
Explore Superside’s Cannes build → / See the Creator Brand Space →
Different brands. Different ways to participate.
More Cannes Lions activations from our portfolio
The strongest format is not always the biggest. These projects show how a photo booth, a frozen-drink bar and a smoothie service can each create a different kind of brand encounter.
Whalar, 2026: a photo booth with a branded keepsake
For Whalar at Cannes Lions, we supplied a fully personalised branded photo booth and branded photo sheets. The blue booth and matching prints carried the identity through the experience, from stepping inside to taking a photograph away.
A booth offers a different type of participation from food and drink: something guests do together, with a physical reminder of the moment. For a similar brief, think about the backdrop, print design, queue space and how the booth fits into the wider event. Explore the Whalar photo booth →
Jasper, 2025: a fully branded slushie and juice bar
For Jasper, we served slushies and fresh juices from a branded bar, with custom cups, bottles and a branded machine. The bright drinks and coordinated serving details made a simple refreshment offer unmistakably part of the brand.
The useful lesson is consistency: the counter attracts attention, while the cup carries that identity into the rest of the event. See Jasper’s Cannes refreshment bar →
Fetch: fresh smoothies, a clear brand presence
For Fetch at Cannes Lions, we served fresh smoothies with Fetch-branded cups and menus. The format gave guests an easy daytime refreshment while keeping the branding visible at the point of service and in their hands.
A smoothie bar can be a useful alternative when the brief calls for a fresh, alcohol-free menu. The flavours, cup design and service flow still need to work as one experience. Explore the Fetch smoothie activation →
Klaviyo, 2024: frozen slushies at the cabana
Looking further back, our Cannes Lions 2024 work included frozen slushies for Klaviyo at its cabana. It is a straightforward format with a strong visual identity: chilled drinks served in the brand’s own setting, with a simple handover that fits a busy festival day.
From good idea to workable brief
Planning your Cannes Lions 2027 activation
The creative concept and the operational plan should develop together. These are the details to settle before committing to a truck, cart, menu or build.
- Location and permissions. Confirm the exact venue, available footprint and who is responsible for securing the space and approvals. Supplier hire does not include a right to activate on the Croisette, within the festival or at a private venue.
- Dates and service windows. Include installation and collection, not just the live event. Share the hours, peak arrival times and whether the activation runs for one session or several days.
- Guest numbers and realistic throughput. Set a total serving requirement and an expected peak rate. A personalised made-to-order service needs a different team and queue plan from a quick sample handover.
- Power, water and cold storage. Check the equipment specification, refrigeration, stock space, replenishment route and waste arrangements with the venue. Do not assume a compact cart is self-sufficient.
- Branding and production. Agree artwork, materials, menus, packaging and sign-off dates early. Allow for transport, setup and any site-specific restrictions before the final design is approved.
- People and responsibilities. Decide who owns staffing, food and drink, venue liaison and event management. If several agencies or suppliers are involved, make each handover explicit.
- A useful measure of success. Choose measures that match the brief: samples served, completed interactions, booked meetings or permission-based enquiries. Agree how they will be recorded before the event.
Before you brief
Cannes Lions activation questions
Can I hire an ice cream cart for Cannes Lions 2027?
Talk to us about the location, dates, menu and guest numbers. We can explore a branded cart, trike or bar setup and confirm suitability and availability against your brief.
Can you supply a branded truck without running the whole activation?
Yes, we can discuss a defined vehicle-and-branding scope alongside an agency-led production, as with the branded vehicle we supplied to Verve Live for Smirnoff Ice. We can also discuss a wider managed service. Your proposal should set out exactly what is included.
Do you work with agencies as well as brands?
Yes. We can support an agency’s existing creative direction or work directly with a brand on the concept, production and guest experience. Early clarity on scope helps the teams work well together.
Does hiring an activation include a Cannes Lions pitch or access?
No. The location, permissions, accreditation and any venue or organiser requirements need to be agreed separately. We will discuss those dependencies when developing the delivery plan.
How early should we start planning?
Start once you know your objective, likely dates and budget range. You do not need finished artwork to begin the conversation. Early planning gives more room to test the format, confirm the venue and agree production lead times.
Is this the Cannes Film Festival?
No. This guide is for the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, taking place on 21–25 June 2027. It is a separate event from the Cannes Film Festival.
Let’s get your Cannes plans rolling
Bring us the brief.
We’ll help shape the experience.
Tell us your brand, objective, dates, venue or preferred setting, guest numbers and budget range. Whether you are exploring ice cream cart hire, a branded truck, catering or a bespoke Cannes Lions activation, we will help identify a workable format and a clear scope.
Plan your Cannes Lions activation →Or email hello@rollingminds.co.uk