Inside SXSW 2026: A Look At This Year’s Speakers, Sessions, Showcases + More
The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity returns June 16th-20th, 2025, unveiling a powerhouse content programme spotlighting creativity’s expanding role in culture, business, and society. With over 150 hours of programming and 500 speakers, the Festival is set to feature trailblazers like Apple’s Tor Myhren, Duolingo’s Emmanuel Orssaud, YouTube CEO Neal Mohan, filmmaker Jon M Chu, and global sports icon and businesswoman Serena Williams.
Organized into five curated streams: Innovation Unwrapped, The Creativity Toolbox, Creative Impact, Talent and Cultures, and Insights and Trends, the agenda is designed to unpack the forces shaping the future of creativity. Highlights include Duolingo’s irreverent take on social-first marketing, McDonald’s CMO Morgan Flatley on brand resonance, and Broadway producers sharing lessons from stage to screen.
To further amplify global participation, Cannes Lions has doubled its commitment to equity by offering €2 million in complimentary passes through the ERA Pass, supporting underrepresented talent worldwide. The Festival also introduces Country Pavilions—a new global showcase for governments and creatives to demonstrate the power of their local creative economies.
Award categories are evolving too. The Social & Influencer Lions have been renamed Social & Creator Lions, reflecting the $600bn creator economy’s growing impact. The Glass Lion expands to better recognize intersectionality in creativity, and a new sub-category honors long-term brand building across disciplines.
As CEO Simon Cook notes, this year’s programme will “dive deeper than ever before” into the cultural, strategic, and technological shifts defining global creativity.
For the full speaker line-up, festival passes, and more, visit canneslions.com.
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