- Panic broke out at Variety’s Cannes Film Festival bash on Wednesday.
- Several celebrities and major film industry figures were present.
- The skaing floor caused immediate panic across the venu
Panic broke out at Variety's Cannes Film Festival bash on Wednesday night after guests heard what many described as a loud “crunch of metal” followed by violent shaking inside the packed venue.
Several celebrities and major film industry figures, including Diane Kruger, Jordana Brewster and Cannes director Thierry Frémaux, were present at La Terrasse by Albane on the JW Marriott Cannes rooftop at the time of the incident.
One guest told Page Six, “We are standing there having a drink and talking to people, when suddenly there was a loud noise, like breaking metal. It's so specific. A crunch of metal.”
According to attendees, the floor then began shaking violently. It caused immediate panic across the rooftop venue. “The whole thing shook violently three or four times. Everyone just f–king freaked out and was scrambling to get out and leave,” the guest added.
Another attendee compared the experience to an earthquake. According to him, “It was like an earthquake the way the floor shook. The first thing I did was grab my two friends and say, ‘We are getting out of here.”
Many at the party reportedly feared the rooftop itself was collapsing. However, another source later clarified to Page Six that the issue was not the roof, but a temporary plywood structure allegedly built for the event.
“There were risers in a seating area built into a VIP section,” a source said, as quoted by the portal. He added, “They were made of plywood and they cracked and collapsed.”
Some of the guests at the event stayed surprisingly calm amid the confusion. One source joked that a few attendees even grabbed “three or four gift bags on the way out of Christian Louboutin beauty.”
A representative for Variety later told Page Six, “Most importantly, we are very relieved no one was injured.” According to another source, the party did not completely shut down after the incident.
The incident occurred during the opening days of this year's Cannes Film Festival, which has already seen stars like Demi Moore and Jane Fonda walk the red carpet.
