Hugh Jackman, French actress Lea Seydoux and Natalie Portman were just some of the celebrities whose faces adorned buildings in the city centre, as if the lure of real-life stars making their way to the 67th Cannes Film Festival was not enough.
Ryan Gosling, David Cronenberg, Ken Loach and Sophia Loren are all due to make an appearance at the 12-day glitzy event that kicks off tomorrow with the world premiere of controversial biopic "Grace of Monaco" starring Nicole Kidman.
The festival is known worldwide for its mix of art house gravitas and extravagance.
Every year, movie stars, industry executives, journalists in their thousands and curious onlookers pour into the Riviera resort that lives and breathes cinema for close to a fortnight, its population briefly tripling from just over 73,000 to over 200,000 people.
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Luxury hotels on Cannes' famed Croisette seaside promenade fill up with the great and the good, with suites going for tens of thousands of euros.
In Cannes, the upmarket Carlton hotel will house New Zealand director Jane Campion, president of a jury that includes Mexico's Gael Garcia Bernal and Chinese filmmaker Jia Zhangke.
The nine-member jury will sit down for a dinner today ahead of the opening at the aptly-named, Michelin-starred "La Palme d'Or" restaurant.
Thousands of plants have been rolled out for the occasion and close to 700 police officers are on hand to ensure security and prevent high-profile jewellery robberies of the kind experienced last year.