Festival Cognac Blues Passions

What Festival Cognac Blues Passions does

Festival Cognac Blues Passions is an annual blues and roots music festival held in Cognac and Jarnac, France, operating under the legal entity Belle Factory SCIC SARL (a cooperative limited company, capital social €8,190). Founded in 1994 by Michel Rolland and now in its 32nd edition (July 1-4, 2026), the festival is organized by an 8-person core team (with seasonal additions) led by Managing Director Samuel Vincent and Artistic Director Michel Rolland. Programming spans paid main stage concerts at Jardin Public de Cognac and Île Madame in Jarnac, plus an expanding portfolio of free stages including the new Kings of Blues (city center, 2026), Beyond the Blues at Maison Hennessy (2026), The Road to Soul at Maison Rémy Martin (2025), Village Cognac (2025), and Rock'n Blues Quarters neighborhood program (2025). The lineup for 2026 includes Ben l'Oncle Soul, Jean-Louis Aubert, Vanessa Paradis, Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals, Théo Charaf, and Curtis Harding.

The festival runs a multi-channel ticketing and on-site commerce operation: Weezevent and Ticketmaster for online sales, physical points of sale at the Belle Factory office and tourism offices across Cognac/Jarnac/Segonzac/Châteauneuf, and a festival-wide WeezPay cashless payment card for food, beverage, and merchandise. Pricing ranges from €20 children's tickets to €160 four-day passes, with a limited-edition Pass Passions at €100 and special bundles like The Road to Soul that include cocktail and venue tours. Revenue is diversified across ticket sales, on-site concessions, festival merchandise and collector items (including Rolling Stone vinyl recordings), a €5-per-ticket tombola, and a multi-tier corporate sponsorship stack (Diamond through Bronze) anchored by cognac industry partners (BNIC, Hennessy, Rémy Martin, Martell, Courvoisier), regional government (Région Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Grand Cognac), Crédit Agricole, and media partners including Rolling Stone Magazine France and France Bleu.

The festival's go-to-market is event-driven: free city-center concerts and neighborhood programming act as a top-of-funnel feeder for paid main stage tickets, amplified through social media (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, X), newsletter, and earned media in Rolling Stone France, Sud Ouest, France Bleu, and Charente Libre. Over its history the festival has hosted 1,200+ formations and 4,800+ artists, and in 2026 became only the third French festival to receive the Keeping the Blues Alive Award from the Blues Foundation in Memphis. The Prix Cognac Passions competition (since 2005) operates as a development pipeline for emerging blues and roots artists, co-sponsored by BNIC, Dixiefrog Records, and FNAC.

Name

Festival Cognac Blues Passions

Legal name

Belle Factory SCIC SARL

Website

https://bluespassions.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Festival Cognac Blues Passions is an annual blues and roots music festival held in Cognac and Jarnac, France, organized by Belle Factory SCIC SARL since 1994. It serves tens of thousands of festival-goers, professional and emerging blues artists, and cognac industry sponsors through a 4-day multi-venue event with paid main stages and an expanding portfolio of free programming.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Music Festival

NAICS

Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events without Facilities (711320)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Music Festival Organizers & Promoters (MPAGAAAB)

Keywords

• Blues music festival
• Live music events
• Festival ticketing
• Artist competition
• Corporate sponsorships

Headquarters

HQ city

Cognac

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Primary revenue from ticket sales for main stage concerts. Single-day tickets from €44, 3-day passes, 4-day passes at €160, children's tickets at €20. Additional revenue from Pass Passions limited edition at €100.
2. Festival Merchandise and Collector Items: Sale of collector bottles, vinyl records, and official merchandise including the Rolling Stone vinyl recordings from Rolling Stone Conversations stage.
3. Corporate Sponsorship and Partnerships: Revenue from corporate sponsors at various tiers (Diamond, Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze) plus institutional partners including BNIC, Région Nouvelle-Aquitaine, and Grand Cognac. Private partners include Crédit Agricole, Hennessy, Rémy Martin, Martell, Courvoisier.
4. Food and Beverage Concessions: Revenue from on-site food and beverage vendors including Origins Lobster Roll, Maison Marthe BBQ, oyster stands, and partner restaurants. Cashless payment system facilitates transactions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Festival Cognac Blues Passions organizes and produces an annual four-day blues and roots music festival held each July across multiple venues in Cognac and Jarnac, France. The festival sells multi-day passes, single-evening tickets, on-site food and beverage concessions, branded merchandise, and collector items, and operates a cashless payment system across festival grounds. It also runs the Prix Cognac Passions Challenge, a competition for emerging blues and roots artists, and produces supporting programming such as the Rolling Stone Conversations interview series and Jam Sessions.

Product overview

Festival Cognac Blues Passions is an annual blues and roots music festival held in Cognac and Jarnac, France. The festival operates as a multi-venue event featuring multiple distinct stages: the main Blues Paradise stage and Experience Cognac stage at Jardin Public de Cognac, the Jarnac au Coeur du Blues on Ile Madame, Groove au Château at Château de Cognac, Beyond the Blues (new in 2026) at Maison Hennessy, and The Road to Soul (2025) at Maison Rémy Martin. The festival offers ticketing products including single evening tickets (from €44), 3-day and 4-day passes, and the exclusive Pass Passions (limited edition at €100). Additional offerings include a cashless payment system for on-site purchases, the Prix Cognac Passions competition for emerging artists, Rolling Stone Conversations interview series, and various free stages like Kings of Blues (2026), Cognac Streets, and Rock'n Blues Quarters. The festival has been awarded the Keeping the Blues Alive award by the Blues Foundation in Memphis.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Festival Passes (3-day and 4-day) Multi-day festival passes providing access to all paid main stage concerts across the festival's primary venues, including the 3-day pass (Jardin Public, July 2-4) and the 4-day pass at €160 (both venues, July 1-4, 2026). Sold to individual festival attendees and tourists.
• Evening Tickets Single-day concert tickets priced from €44 providing access to paid evening concerts at the festival's main venues in Cognac and Jarnac. Targeted at individual festival-goers seeking flexible attendance.
• Pass Passions Limited edition promotional passport priced at €100 (100 copies per edition) providing access to all festival concerts and events, sold annually as a collector-style offering to dedicated festival enthusiasts.
• Cashless Payment System Cashless payment card system for festival attendees enabling loadable prepaid cards for purchases at all on-site food, beverage, and merchandise stands, with post-event balance refunds. Powered by WeezPay.
• The Road to Soul Stage Ticket Specially ticketed stage experience in partnership with Maison Rémy Martin including a piano concert, photographic exhibition of festival pianists over 30+ years, a cocktail, and a tour of Maison Rémy Martin. For individual festival attendees seeking premium experiences.
• Prix Cognac Passions Challenge Blues & Roots Annual competition since 2005 awarding emerging French and international blues and roots artists, co-sponsored by BNIC, Dixiefrog Records, and FNAC. Targets professional and emerging musicians seeking exposure and prizes.
• Festival Tombola Lottery sold at €5 per ticket offering attendees chances to win festival passes, custom guitars, vinyl records, collector bottles, glasses, harmonicas, and other prizes. Targeted at festival attendees and supporters.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 60 concerts with 40+ free performances in 2025
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

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

• Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac (BNIC)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerHistorical partner of the festival, BNIC sponsors the Prix Cognac Passions Challenge Blues & Roots competition and supports free concerts. Deep integration with the Cognac industry's cultural identity.
• Région Nouvelle-AquitainecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional government funding and support for the festival as a major cultural event in Nouvelle-Aquitaine.
• Grand CognaccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal development agency supporting the festival as part of regional cultural and tourism development.
• Hennessy (Jas Hennessy & Co)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerHistoric partner supporting the new Beyond the Blues stage in Maison Hennessy. Partnership spanning many years with exclusive venue access.
• Maison Rémy MartinflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerHistoric partner supporting The Road to Soul stage with piano concerts at Maison Rémy Martin. Provides exclusive venue access and cocktail reception for ticket holders.
• Crédit Agricole Charente PérigordcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPrivate partner offering exclusive insurance and financial services promotions to festival ticket holders. Supports Blues for the Kids charity project.
• Rolling Stone Magazine FrancecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partner for Rolling Stone Conversations stage with interviews and exclusive vinyl recordings. Joint promotion of festival programming.
• Dixiefrog RecordscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBlues & Roots label celebrating 40 years in 2026, co-sponsor of Prix Cognac Passions Challenge Blues & Roots competition.
• FNACcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-sponsor of Prix Cognac Passions Challenge Blues & Roots, providing support for emerging artists competition.
• FragolabscoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology partner developing the programming module and mobile application for the festival.
• Partner Hotels (multiple)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerHotels offering discounts to festival-goers: Château Pellisson, Ibis Budget Cognac, Ibis Centre, Ibis Styles, La Résidence, Le Cheval Blanc, Le Valois, Quai des Pontis, L'Passiflore, L'Oliveraie, L'Yeuse
• Transdev Poitou-CharentesminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorShuttle bus service between Cognac and Jarnac venues, enabling festival-goers to attend events at both locations.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Notodden Blues Festival: Internationally recognized European blues festival in Norway; comparable as a long-running, single-genre roots/blues festival with multiple stages and free programming.
• Blues sur Seine: French blues festival in the Île-de-France region; competes directly for the same French blues audience and for free-concert-driven awareness to feed paid ticketing.
• Festival de Cornouaille: Major summer regional festival in France combining live music, cultural programming, and community engagement; comparable in scale, regional footprint, and municipal partnership model.
• Cahors Blues Festival: Long-running French blues festival held annually in Cahors; competes for the same blues-music audience, sponsors, and July tourism window in France.
• Festival Interceltique de Lorient: Long-running French cultural-music festival with international heritage programming; comparable in regional-city format, free and paid programming mix, and deep institutional/sponsor integration.

Broad incumbents

• Montreux Jazz Festival: One of Europe's most established music festivals; broader in genre (jazz, blues, soul, pop) but overlaps in operating model, multi-stage urban format, brand-sponsor ecosystem, and international touring artists.
• Les Vieilles Charrues: France's largest music festival; comparable in French regional festival operating model, multi-day multi-stage structure, and tiered corporate sponsorship, though broader in genre.
• North Sea Jazz Festival: Large-scale international jazz/blues/roots festival in Rotterdam; comparable in multi-day multi-stage format, ticketing tiers, and corporate partnerships, though at materially larger scale.
• Hellfest: Major French summer music festival; comparable in operating model, multi-day programming, sponsor tiers, and regional economic impact, though distinct in genre and scale.

Others

• Weezevent: Ticketing and cashless-payment technology provider; integrated into Cognac Blues Passions operations and representative of the broader event-tech ecosystem the festival depends on.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/BluesPassions
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCt6Zf0tYQ5W39dabEgH8InQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/Cognac.Blues.Passions.festival
• Instagraminstagram.com/cognacbluespassions
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/blues-passions

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Festival Cognac Blues Passions