On Wednesday 12 August the Moon passes in front of the Sun. From Cannes it will cover about ninety five per cent of it. That is the deepest eclipse we have had here since 1999.
What you will actually see
Not totality. The full eclipse falls on Iceland and northern Spain, and Cannes sits outside that band. So there is no corona, no sudden darkness, no drop in temperature.
What we get instead is a thin crescent of Sun going down into the sea, and the light turning odd and metallic around it. Less dramatic. Better to photograph.
The times
It begins around 19h25. Maximum is near 20h25. By then the Sun sits about two fingers’ width above the water, and it sets while still partly covered.
The one rule
Keep your eclipse glasses on the entire time. Because it never goes total here, there is no safe moment to take them off. Not even at ninety five per cent.
Sunglasses do not work, however dark. Neither do phone screens or smoked glass. Look for ISO 12312-2 printed on the arm.
And never hold glasses in front of binoculars or a camera. The lens concentrates the light and burns straight through the filter.
Where to watch
You want a clear view west, and a little height helps.
- Le Suquet, for height and a clean line down the bay.
- Quai Saint-Pierre or Plage du Midi, both quieter than the Croisette.
- The rocks at Pointe Croisette, excellent, and full of people who thought the same.
Or lie down at Copal
Copal Beach is at 63 on the Croisette, ten minutes east of us on foot. They open the beds from seven and hand out certified glasses when you arrive, which takes care of the one thing most people forget.
You are lying down, facing the water, with the bar running behind you. For something that is mostly waiting and then looking up, that is the easiest seat in town.
Book this week, not on the day
Mid-August is the busiest fortnight of the year in Cannes, and this falls midweek in the thick of it. If you want a bed at Copal, or a table anywhere facing west, book it now.
Leave the car too. The seafront will be solid from about seven.
If you are staying with us
You are five minutes from all of it. We keep spare glasses in the apartment, and the terrace faces the right way if you would rather skip the crowd altogether.