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The Cannes Film Festival kicked off on May 12.
- The 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival began today - celebrities will congregate in the French Riviera for 12 days to celebrate film debuts and deals.
- Hotel Barrière Le Majestic, a luxury hotel that hosts opening and closing events for the festival and serves as a place to stay for the stars, shared what's involved behind the scenes at the Cannes Film Festival.
- It takes at least 100,000 pounds of food and $347,000 to cater to the stars - but that's only the beginning.
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The 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival kicked off on May 14. Every May, Hollywood's elite head to the French Riviera for the glamorous 12-day event rife with parties, film debuts, and film deals.
But what really goes on behind the scenes? We talked to Hotel Barrière Le Majestic, a luxury hotel in Cannes, to find out. Since 1946, when the festival's founder, François André, hand-selected the hotel as an event hotspot, Hotel Barrière Le Majestic has hosted opening and closing events for the Cannes Film Festival and served as a place to stay for film stars attending the festival.
The luxury hotel shared exactly what it takes to host the stars during the festival - and apparently, it needs to double its staff to handle all the tasks involved. That includes preparing a minimum of nearly 100,000 pounds of food and serving nearly 19,000 bottles of wine and champagne.
Here's a look at the numbers behind the scenes during the Cannes Film Festival. All budgets are approximations:
- Majestic's staff numbers increase by 100% from 350 to 700
- 8,000 fresh roses are placed in guestrooms ($32,000)
- 14,000 towels and 15,000 sheets are changed
- 6,000 items of clothing are cleaned or pressed
- 770 pounds of foie gras ($38,500), 110 pounds of caviar ($132,000), 40 tons of fruit and vegetables, 3 tons of fish, 2 tons of lobster ($48,000), and 1,760 pounds of crayfish will be consumed
- 550 pounds of chocolate ($16,500) and 20,000 macaroons ($80,000) will be consumed
- 25,000 meals will be prepared
- 18,500 bottles of wine, half of which are Champagne, will be uncorked
That's a minimum of $347,000 on festival-related costs, $315,000 of which covers dining alone. Catering to the stars ultimately requires a lot of hands, a lot of money, and a lot of food.