VidCon is leaving Anaheim to become a Cannes Lions offshoot

Since 2012, VidCon has been an (almost) annual summertime fixture at the Anaheim Convention Center in Orange County. But that’s about to change.

Informa, the owner of the eminent creator convention, is taking VidCon out of Anaheim. Going forward, VidCon will be linked up with another Informa property: The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

To acknowledge the growing impact of creators within the worlds of advertising and marketing, Informa is establishing an event series called VidCon x Lions Creators. In the United States, VidCon x Lions Creators will be associated with the Insight to Impact Festival, which will debut in Denver in October 2026 before heading to Nashville in 2027.

So if you associate VidCon with California sunshine, impromptu trips to Disneyland, and late nights at the Harbor Blvd. Denny’s (a Tubefilter tradition), then buckle up. The creator industry’s premier get-together is about to look a lot different.

Informa, a media and events company based in London, promised significant changes for VidCon when it bought the property from Paramount Global in 2024. “We have a lot of big, exciting things that we have planned,” said Informa exec Aman Gupta shortly after the deal closed.

As Informa searched for pieces of its portfolio to pair with VidCon, it set its sights on Cannes Lions. The French Riviera gathering has, in recent years, welcomed more creator economy attendees alongside the usual complement of agencies and brands. At first, creator activations at Cannes Lions were limited to a handful of contests

and networking events, but there is now an entire Cannes Lions track dedicated to the booming creator industry.

Welcoming creators into the ad world is great, but scheduling conflicts are not. Both Cannes Lions and VidCon have traditionally occurred in June, so Informa was competing against itself to attract attendees and book speakers.

The union of VidCon and Cannes Lions will eliminate needless competition while aiding the latter event’s growth as a creator conference. “For 15 years, VidCon has been the heartbeat of the creator community—the place where emerging and established creators, fans, brands, and industry leaders come together to celebrate digital culture in real life,” said VidCon VP and Business Lead Sarah Tortoreti in a statement. “Joining LIONS allows us to amplify that mission on a global scale.”

While some of us will miss our post-VidCon Denny’s breakfasts, the move out of Anaheim bodes well for the event’s long-term progress. If you want to see what the future of VidCon looks like, you can snag a pass for the upcoming Insight to Impact Festival.