Barbra Streisand to miss Cannes Palme d'Or ceremony after knee injury

Barbra Streisand will miss Cannes’ closing-night Honorary Palme d’Or ceremony after a knee injury, forcing the festival to adjust one of its marquee legacy-star moments while keeping the tribute intact.

Streisand said Sunday, May 17, 2026, that she would not be able to attend the closing ceremony of the 79th Festival de Cannes, where she had been set to receive an honorary Palme d’Or on Saturday, May 23, at the Palais des Festivals in Cannes, France. The festival said it would still honor her despite her absence, preserving the tribute for a night that closes the 79th edition, which runs from May 12 to May 23, 2026.

For Cannes, the loss is more than a scheduling change. The festival has long relied on major names like Streisand to give its closing ceremony the kind of cultural gravity that travels far beyond the French Riviera. Even without her walking the red carpet, her presence in the program still signals the festival’s effort to blend awards-season prestige with pop-cultural recognition that can pull global attention toward the Palais.

Festival materials described Streisand as an actress, director, producer, screenwriter, singer and songwriter, a range that helps explain why the honor carried such weight. She was identified as the third honorary Palme d’Or recipient of the 79th festival, following Peter Jackson and John Travolta, placing her in a line of figures chosen to represent not just accomplishment, but influence across film and entertainment.

Coverage said this would have been Streisand’s first-ever visit to Cannes, adding an extra layer of anticipation to the ceremony that will now proceed without her in person. Streisand said she had felt pride and humility at joining past honorary Palme d’Or recipients, and she said she wanted to congratulate filmmakers from around the world. The festival, meanwhile, made clear that the tribute would go ahead as planned, a reminder that Cannes prizes the symbolism of the honor as much as the ceremony itself.

The adjustment leaves the festival to stage one of its most visible honors without the artist it was meant to celebrate in person. Even so, Cannes is keeping Streisand at the center of its closing night, underscoring how much the festival still depends on legacy names to confer prestige, draw attention and define the tone of its final act.