Canva Closes Out Cannes Lions With Beachside Pride Party, Featuring a Surprise Teletubbies Appearance

If Cannes Lions handed out an award for best party of the festival, this year's prize might well go to Canva. The all-in-one visual communication platform capped off a week of high-profile panels and conversations, which brought figures like Oprah Winfrey, Colin Jost, and Carmelo Anthony to the South of France, by hosting a Pride celebration on the beach Thursday night, honoring LGBTQ+ rights.

The event, held at Canva's Creative Cabana on the Croisette, arrived at a moment when many companies have been quietly retreating from public commitments to diversity and inclusion initiatives. Jimmy Knowles, Canva's global head of experiential, framed the party as a deliberate counterpoint to that broader corporate retreat, saying it meant a great deal to work for a company willing to express its support for these values openly and without hesitation, even as others in the industry have grown more cautious.

The night kicked off with a parade of European drag performers taking the stage, dancing energetically to pop hits from artists like Katy Perry and Rihanna. But the evening's biggest surprise came at its close, when the Teletubbies took the stage. The beloved children's characters, originally introduced in the late 1990s, arrived to celebrate themes of love and inclusivity, with Tinky Winky, the purple Teletubby whose sexuality became an unlikely subject of public debate in 1999 after televangelist Jerry Falwell publicly speculated about the character's orientation, leading the group through a series of dance moves alongside Dipsy, Laa-Laa, and Po. Decades later, speculation about Tinky Winky's symbolism still occasionally resurfaces in pop culture conversation, lending the moment an extra layer of irony as the character danced at an LGBTQ+ celebration.

As the crowd responded with enthusiastic cheers, the Teletubbies didn't stay confined to the stage. They made their way down to mingle directly with attendees, dancing along to Britney Spears' "Toxic" as fans surged forward for a closer look and, in many cases, a selfie.

Teletubbies are gearing up to mark their 30th anniversary, an effort being coordinated through WildBrain Media Solutions, a company specializing in advertising aimed at children's entertainment properties. When Variety requested an interview, a representative offered a notably literal response, explaining that the Teletubbies themselves do not speak, but that members of the WildBrain Media Solutions team would be on hand at the event to help translate or interpret on their behalf.

The party offered a fitting, slightly surreal bookend to a week defined by splashy brand activations and celebrity sightings across the Croisette, reinforcing Cannes Lions' reputation as much for its spectacle as for its substance.