Cannes is invariably associated with permissiveness, filmmakers celebrating filmmaking, and gambling. If gambling is your thing, Cannes has some world-class casinos, each loaded with addicts, voyeurs, and everyone in between. The better established is the Casino Croisette, in the Palais des Festivals, 1 jetée Albert-Edouard (tel. 04-92-98-78-00). Run by the Lucien Barrière group, and a well-respected fixture in town since the 1950s, it's a competitor of the newer Palm Beach Casino, place F-D-Roosevelt, Pointe de la Croisette (tel. 04-97-06-36-90; www.lepalmbeach.com), on the southeast edge of La Croisette. Inaugurated in 1933 and rebuilt in 2002, it features three restaurants and Art Deco decor. It's glossier, newer, and a bit hungrier for new business. Both casinos maintain slot machines that operate daily from 11am to 5am. Suites of rooms devoted to les grands jeux (blackjack, roulette, and chemin de fer) open nightly from 8pm to 5am.
Yet a third gambling den, Casino des Princes, is more intimate than either of its more flamboyant competitors, occupying the subterranean levels of the Noga Hilton Cannes, 50 bd. de la Croisette (tel. 04-97-06-18-50). Outfitted in tones of gold and ocher, it is open nightly 8pm to 4am. A government-issued photo ID is necessary, and jackets for men are requested. Adjoining the casino is the hotel's most upscale restaurant, Restaurant/Bar des Princes, open for dinner nightly from 8pm to 2:45am.
The hippest club is Le Life, 22 rue Macé (tel. 04-93-99-94-86), where a multicultural crowd of night owls, mostly younger than 35, come to dance, drink, talk, and flirt. It opens every night 11pm to 4am, and charges 16€ ($21) for admission.
The aptly named Bar des Stars, in the Restaurant Fouquet's in the Hôtel Majestic Barrière, 14 La Croisette (tel. 04-92-98-77-29), is where deals go down during the film festival. Directors, producers, stars, press agents, and screenwriters crowd in here at festival time. Even without the festival, it's a lively place for a drink.
The popular nightclub Whatnut's Bal-Room, 7 rue Marceau (tel. 04-93-68-60-58), in the commercial center of Cannes, got a face-lift. Two dance floors feature radically different music: One is for 1980s-style disco; the other for house, garage, and modern forms of electronic sounds. Patrons are on the young side (ages 18-35), admission is free, and drinks cost 5€ to 10€ ($6.50-$13). Open July to August daily 10:30pm to 5am; September to June Friday to Sunday 10:30pm to 5am.
Gays and lesbians will feel comfortable at Le Vogue, 20 rue du Suquet (tel. 04-93-39-99-18), a mixed bar open Tuesday to Sunday from 7:30pm until 2:30am. Another gay option is Disco Le Sept, 7 rue Rouguière (tel. 04-93-39-10-36), where drag shows appear nightly at 1:30am. Entrance is free, except on weekends, when it's 16€ ($21) cover includes one drink. Straight nightclub goers favor Disco Le Sept as well. The most visible gay clientele in Cannes tend to gravitate toward Le Hype, 52 bd. Jean-Jaurès (tel. 04-93-39-20-50), which was reoutfitted as a 1950s-retro venue that includes red vinyl banquettes, white walls, a busy bar, occasional drag shows, and lots of randomly scheduled and somewhat flippant theme parties. Open for drinks and dining daily 6pm to 2:30am, with fixed-price meals priced at 32€ ($42), it's a popular and convivial spot for same-sex socializing. A lot rougher, darker, and more shadowy is the gay male disco, Le Divan, 3 rue Rouguière (tel. 04-93-68-73-70), located within a vaulted cellar that's designed to look a lot older than it really is. This place is not for the timid: If you opt for a visit here, leave your valuables in your hotel safe and remain alert. It's open Tuesday to Sunday 6pm until around 4am, depending on the crowds.
A discreet ambience prevails at Zanzibar, 85 rue Félix-Faure (tel. 04-93-39-30-75; www.lezanzibar.com). A bartender confided to us, "If a gay man wants to meet a French version of Brad Pitt, especially at festival time, this is the place." The bar is open all night and caters to people of all sexual persuasions. At dawn the doors open and the last of the drag queens stagger out.
