amfAR Gala Cannes: How Does the Cap d'Antibes Evening Work?

What is the amfAR Gala in Cannes?

amfAR is an American foundation that has been devoted for more than forty years to research on HIV and AIDS. Every year, during the Festival, its Cannes gala brings together guests from cinema, fashion, the arts and philanthropy, for the benefit of its research programmes.

The story begins in 1993, with a first dinner at the Moulin de Mougins, in the hills above Cannes. The evening has grown since, changing scale and address; in 2026, the 32nd edition was held at the Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc, on Cap d'Antibes. The format is now established: a black-tie dinner, musical performances, a fashion show, and an auction of luxury objects and contemporary works of art, whose proceeds fund research.

What sets it apart is its place in the Cannes fortnight: a few days before the Festival closes, a charity evening held outside Cannes, by the water. Our amfAR Gala VIP page explains how we compose the stay around it.

When the gala takes place: the calendar

The gala follows the Cannes Film Festival. In recent years it has been held on a Thursday in the second week: 22 May in 2025, 21 May in 2026. In 2027, the Festival celebrates its 80th edition, from Tuesday 11 to Saturday 22 May. As of 5 October 2026, amfAR has not yet published the date of its 2027 gala: it will take place in May, during the Festival.

For a stay, this calendar has a simple consequence: gala week is also the week when the coast is in high demand. The table below sets out the verified reference points.

Who sells the tables, and how

Unlike evenings held strictly by invitation, the amfAR Gala sells its tables and places — but it is the foundation itself that sells them, for the benefit of research, through its own channels. It sets the terms and remains in charge of its room. Houses and companies also take a table and invite their own guests.

TGZ Conciergerie sells no table and no place, and promises no access. If you wish to attend the evening, the approach goes through the foundation: we can tell you how to contact it. Any offer of a “ticket” resold by a third party should raise suspicion. Our guide How the amfAR Gala Works details how the evening really works.

Living gala week on the Riviera

The evening lasts one night; the week belongs to the coast. In late May, the Riviera comes into its own: the sea warms, terraces open, the good tables are full. Between Cannes and Cap d'Antibes, dinners, private evenings and appointments multiply while the Festival is in full swing.

A well-made stay rests on what is composed: an address on the Cap or on the Croisette, a stylist for the evening dress, tables held at the right hours — Les Pêcheurs at the Cap d'Antibes Beach Hotel, named by way of illustration — a day at sea to the Lérins Islands, and journeys planned around the May roads. If you are also living the Festival itself, our complete guide to the Cannes Film Festival sets the frame.

Preparing your stay: address, journeys, budget

The address first: on Cap d'Antibes, you sleep close to the evening, away from the Croisette; in Cannes, you live the Festival on foot; a villa with staff lets you receive guests. Our guide Where to Stay for the amfAR Gala compares each option, with one point that matters: staying at the Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc gives no access to the gala.

Then the journeys: Nice Côte d'Azur is around twenty kilometres from Cap d'Antibes; Cannes-Mandelieu receives jets of a compatible size, but not at night. During the Festival, the coast road is very busy in the late afternoon and evening: you leave early, or go by sea. Our guide Getting to the amfAR Gala compares each option.

Finally the budget: every stay is quoted individually, because it is composed. What makes it vary: the address and category of the room or villa, the length of stay, the flight and the helicopter, the days of chauffeur and stylist, the dinners, the day at sea, the size of the group and the timing of the booking. None of these items includes a gala table.

What to remember

The amfAR Gala in Cannes is amfAR's benefit evening for AIDS research, held every May during the Festival, in recent years at the Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc; the 2027 date has not yet been published. Tables and places are sold by the foundation itself. TGZ Conciergerie, an independent house not affiliated with amfAR, the Cannes Film Festival or the Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc, with no official status, sells none: it composes the stay around the evening — address, tables, evening dress, journeys, a day at sea. Every stay is quoted individually, availability and terms confirmed before any commitment.