And the award for best party at Cannes Lions goes to …
There isn’t such a recognition (yet) from the annual festival of creativity for marketeers and advertisers in the South of France. But in 2026, that honor might as well go to Canva, the industry leading all in-one visual communication platform, for hosting a Pride party on Thursday night celebrating LGBTQ+ rights at the end of a week of panels and conversations that brought Oprah Winfrey, Colin Jost and Carmelo Anthony to Cannes.
“At a time when so many companies seem to be leaning out of DE&I, it means the world to be at a company that is leaning in — in such a proud, unapologetic way,” said Jimmy Knowles, Canva’s global head of experiential.
At the Canva Creative Cabana Pride on the Croisette party on the beach, the night started with a parade of European drag queens onstage gyrating to pop songs from Katy Perry and Rihanna. Party-goers enjoyed ice cream, frozen Smirnoff drinks (“I haven’t had this since I was in high school,” one attendee raved) and face paintings from a French attendant who carried a container of paint and glitter.
And the night ended with, well, the Teletubbies. The iconic 90s children’s characters took the stage to celebrate love and inclusivity. Tinky Winky, the purple Teletubby who was ensnared in controversy in 1999 when televangelist Jerry Falwell accused it of being gay (and yet rumors still linger on…), led moves with Dipsy, Laa-Laa and Po all joining in on the fun. As the crowd erupted in euphoric cheers, the Teletubbies — proving their worth as rock stars — jumped off the stage to meet their fans as they shimmied to Britney Spears’ “Toxic.”
The Teletubbies are at Cannes Lions to celebrate their upcoming 30th anniversary through WildBrain Media Solutions, the global kids advertising company.
When asked for an interview, a representative wrote to Variety: “The Teletubbies themselves don’t speak but we will have several folks from the WildBrain Media Solutions team in attendance and they can ‘translate’ answers.” But as they left with their groupies chasing after them, trying to get selfies, Variety could not immediately locate their publicist.
Eventually, we interviewed Emma Witkowski, WildBrain’s vice president of Media Solutions. “The Teletubbies’ DNA is about joy and inclusivity,” she said, talking to us with glitter on her cheeks as party-goers danced with rainbow-colored fans. “This was the perfect collaboration.”
Variety and Canva partnered on the Canva Creative Cabana, where some of the biggest C-suite executives in the world sat down for interviews at Cannes Lions.
