Vol Libre

What Vol Libre does

Vol Libre SARL is a privately-held French entertainment company founded in 1998 by Philippe Hertel, headquartered in Provins, Seine-et-Marne. Its core business is the daily equestrian falconry show "Les Aigles des Remparts" performed at the Théâtre des Remparts within the Provins UNESCO World Heritage medieval city, drawing approximately 90,000 visitors per year across a March-November season of 550+ performances. The technical foundation combines free-flight demonstrations of roughly 100 birds of prey across 25 species with Iberian horses in choreographed historical performances, supported by in-house breeding programs for both raptors (in Gironde) and Spanish horses (sourced from Yeguada Militar).

Beyond the flagship show, Vol Libre operates a modular product portfolio including bespoke falconry performances for events (Stade de France, Château de Chambord, Disneyland Paris, Europa-Park, equestrian festivals), individual and corporate falconry initiation sessions (€85-€198 per person), and audiovisual services for fashion, film, and television productions (clients include Givenchy, Gucci, Harper's Bazaar, and France Télévisions). Go-to-market combines direct ticketing through billetweb.fr and on-site box office, retail distribution across major French chains (Fnac, Carrefour, E.Leclerc, Auchan), online resale platforms (Ticketmaster, Fnac Spectacles, BilletReduc), and partnerships with Provins Tourist Office and Seine-et-Marne Attractivité.

The business holds ministerial licenses (1-003011, 2-003097, plus 2020 issued licenses) required for presenting birds of prey, and the underlying falconry practice benefits from UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage designation (2010). The company remains a small family-run SARL with Valérie Hertel as gérante, Philippe Hertel as artistic director, and Stép hanie Danis handling production and communications. Revenue is not publicly disclosed and the registered share capital is €7,623.

Name

Vol Libre

Legal name

Vol Libre SARL

Website

https://vollibre.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Vol Libre SARL operates a daily equestrian falconry show at Provins UNESCO medieval city, drawing 90,000+ annual visitors, and produces bespoke falconry performances for events, corporate team-building, and fashion/film clients across Europe.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Equestrian Falconry Entertainment

NAICS

Horses and Other Equine Production (112920)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Agricultural Prod-Livestock & Animal Specialties (200)

akta.pro primary industry

Equestrian Teams & Stables (Racing/Show Jumping/Eventing) (MPAKABAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Horse Boarding, Livery & Stable Operations (AFAEAGAG)

Keywords

• Equestrian falconry shows
• Birds of prey demonstrations
• Falconry initiation experiences
• Bird of prey breeding
• Live entertainment performances

Headquarters

HQ city

Provins

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales (Les Aigles des Remparts): Primary revenue stream from daily show performances in Provins (March-November). 90,000+ annual visitors. Pricing tiers for adults, children, groups, schools, and corporates with online discounts.
2. Falconry Initiation Sessions: Individual (198€/person/day) and group (85€/person) falconry training experiences. Corporate team-building activities. Runs July-October.
3. Custom Event Performances: Bespoke falconry and equestrian falconry shows for weddings, gala events, medieval festivals, horse shows, stadiums, and corporate events across Europe.
4. Fashion and Media Services: Provides birds and horses for fashion shoots (Harper's Bazaar, Givenchy), film productions, TV commercials, music videos, and documentaries.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Vol Libre SARL produces and operates daily equestrian falconry shows combining free-flight birds of prey with Iberian horses in synchronized outdoor performances, headlined by its flagship show "Les Aigles des Remparts" at the medieval Théâtre des Remparts in Provins, France. The company also offers falconry initiation experiences (individual, group, and corporate), bespoke event performances across Europe, in-house breeding programs for birds of prey and Spanish horses, and audiovisual services supplying trained birds and horses for fashion, film, television, and advertising productions.

Product overview

Vol Libre is a professional entertainment company specializing in equestrian falconry shows and bird of prey experiences. The core product is 'Les Aigles des Remparts,' a daily show in Provins featuring free-flight demonstrations of 80+ birds of prey alongside horses. The company operates a modular portfolio including: daily shows (Les Aigles des Remparts), custom event performances (Spectacles Événementiels, Scènes Equestres), falconry initiation experiences (individual, group, and corporate programs), breeding programs for birds of prey and Spanish horses, and audiovisual services for cinema, fashion, and television. The product ecosystem is unified around live falconry entertainment with add-on educational and corporate experiences, supported by internal breeding operations for both raptors and horses.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Les Aigles des Remparts: The flagship daily show produced by Vol Libre in Provins, featuring equestrian falconry performances with birds of prey and horses. The show has been running since 2002 and celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2026.

Products and services

• Les Aigles des Remparts (The Eagles of the Ramparts) Daily 45-minute equestrian falconry show at the Théâtre des Remparts in Provins featuring free-flight demonstrations of approximately 100 birds of prey across 25 species alongside Iberian horses in costume, portraying falconry history across centuries and continents. Targets tourists, families, school groups, and visitors to the UNESCO medieval city, with 2-4 performances per day during the March-November season.
• Spectacles Évènementiels (Custom Event Performances) Bespoke falconry and equestrian falconry performances for weddings, gala evenings, medieval festivals, horse shows, stadiums, dinner shows, and corporate events across France and Europe, including high-profile collaborations with venues such as Château de Chambord, Stade de France, Disneyland Paris, and Europa-Park.
• Initiation à la Fauconnerie (Falconry Initiation) Hands-on falconry learning experiences combining theory and practical bird handling with professional falconers, available in individual (full-day, max 3 persons) and group/corporate team-building formats (85€/person, 20-40 persons). Includes an illustrated educational booklet for participants.
• Élevage de Rapaces et Chevaux Espagnols (Raptor and Spanish Horse Breeding) Internal breeding operations for birds of prey (focused on conservation and supply for shows) and Pure Spanish Race (PRE) Iberian horses with baroque conformation sourced from the Spanish Yeguada Militar program, producing breeding mares and foals for performance and leisure use.
• Prestations Audiovisuelles (Film, TV & Fashion Services) Supply of trained birds of prey and horses for cinema, television, documentaries, advertising commercials, music videos, and fashion photography shoots, including high-profile collaborations with brands such as Givenchy, Gucci, and Guerlain, and editorial work for Harper's Bazaar.
• 25th Anniversary Enhanced Aviary Visit Experience Enhanced aviary visit experience launched for the show's 25th anniversary in 2026, featuring an enriched and expanded visitor path through 80 birds of prey across 24 species with new educational panels about species, wingspans, falconry equipment, and raptor characteristics.

Quantifiable outcome

• 90,000+ annual visitors to the Provins show
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and flagship.

• Office de Tourisme de ProvinscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPrimary tourism partnership. Co-markets the show on provins.net, sells combined Show + Pass Provins tickets, provides venue proximity and visitor infrastructure. Critical channel partner for tourist distribution.
• Seine-et-Marne Attractivité (Conseil Général 77)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerDepartmental tourism authority partnership. Promotes the show to Seine-et-Marne residents via Balad'Pass 77 program offering free entry for cardholders with paying adult.
• Crédit Agricole Brie PicardieminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMutualist bank partnership offering preferential ticket rates for card-holding members (tarifs préférentiels with sociétairy card).
• Evasion FMminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRegional radio partner (Provins 95.5) providing media exposure and promotional mentions.
• Visiocom OutdoorminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOutdoor advertising partner for billboard campaigns across 55 communes in Ile-de-France, Centre, and Champagne Ardennes with 1,800 advertising faces.
• Ville de ProvinscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipal government partnership. Host venue at Théâtre des Remparts within medieval city walls. Co-organizes Provins Medieval Festival where the show performs extra dates.
• Mario LuraschiflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Excalibur show at Stade de France (2011) in front of 50,000 spectators. Equestrian stunts and falconry integration.
• Frédéric Pignon and Magali DelgadoflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on EQI musical equestrian show in Monteux (2014). Famous wild horse trainer show integration.
• Yeguada Militar (YM)coreOthersSource of pure Spanish horses (PRE) with baroque conformation from prestigious Spanish military breeding program for the company's horse breeding.
• Château de ChambordflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Pégase Prod and Domaine national de Chambord for daily horses and raptors show from March-November 2024.
• Kamel OualiflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerChoreographer for Groupe Beaumanoir (Cache Cache, Bréal, Bonobo) fashion show in Brussels 2014 featuring birds and horses.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Théâtre du Centaure: French equestrian theater company directed by Camille and Manolo, blending horsemanship with theatrical performance. Comparable in combining live horses with choreographed show production, custom event performances, and premium positioning.
• Cavalia: Internationally touring equestrian show featuring horses and acrobatic performers in large-scale productions. Closely comparable in combining live horses with theatrical spectacle, premium ticketing model, and event/corporate performances targeting similar family and tourist audiences.
• Les Aigles de Beaucaire: Falconry show in Beaucaire, France, that Vol Libre's founder Philippe Hertel previously managed. Direct competitor offering free-flight bird of prey demonstrations at a heritage site, targeting similar tourist and family segments in France.
• Les Aigles du Léman: Falconry show in Haute-Savoie (France) featuring birds of prey. Comparable bird-of-prey demonstration business with similar seasonal ticketed show model, though serving a regional/regional-tourist catchment.
• Le Donjon des Aigles: Falconry show held in a medieval castle (Donjon des Aigles, France) featuring birds of prey demonstrations. Direct competitor with the same falconry-show business model, heritage-site setting, and family-tourist target audience.

Broad incumbents

• Europa-Park: Germany's largest theme park and ongoing Vol Libre client for its on-site falconry show. Comparable as a large-scale entertainment venue hosting live animal performances, but operates at vastly larger scale and serves as a customer/distribution partner.
• Puy du Fou: France's leading historical theme park, featuring large-scale equestrian and period shows with millions of visitors annually. Comparable as a French heritage-based entertainment operator using live animals and costumed performance, though at vastly larger scale and with broader historical themes.
• Disneyland Paris: Major European theme park and existing Vol Libre client (Buffalo Wild West Show performances). Comparable as a large-scale entertainment venue that commissions custom animal performances, but much broader scope and serves as a customer of Vol Libre rather than a direct competitor.

Others

• Fort Boyard Aventures: French television production and live entertainment company behind the iconic Fort Boyard show. Comparable as a themed live entertainment brand leveraging historical settings and high-visibility French broadcast partnerships, but operates in TV production rather than animal performance.

Emerging players

• Parc des Oiseaux: Bird park in Villars-les-Dombes (France) with extensive bird of prey collection and flight demonstrations. Comparable in bird-of-prey conservation focus and live raptor presentations, but structured as a walkthrough aviary/zoo rather than a choreographed theatrical show.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Vol_Libre_Prod
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCgJdCGdG5D2K0kvqJvYQiUg
• Facebookfacebook.com/AiglesDesRemparts.Provins
• Instagraminstagram.com/aigles_des_remparts_provins

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Vol Libre