Chambéry

What Chambéry does

Chambéry BD (Association Chambéry BD) is a French non-profit cultural association (loi 1901) founded in 1977 that organises what it promotes as France's second-oldest bande dessinée (BD) festival, held annually in Chambéry, Savoie. The association's core product is a weekend-long festival featuring roughly 60 authors per edition, awarding the "Éléphants d'Or" across nine categories, and drawing approximately 15,000 visitors per year. Programming extends beyond the festival weekend to include school visits, artist residencies under the "Les Bulles du Chevelu" label, the BD Battle competition, and traveling exhibitions such as the Kim Jung Gi tribute and the Genghis Khan retrospective.

The association's operations are volunteer-led, with governance provided by a board of authors, librarians, and cultural professionals. Revenue is generated through ticket sales (€10/day full, €8 reduced, €14 for a 3-day pass), on-site book and merchandise sales through retail partners such as Librairie Excalibur (official 2026 bookstore), donations, and likely public cultural subsidies from local authorities. Distribution partners include Canal BD, Le Tétas Livre, and physical venues such as Savoie Expo (host since 2025), Cinéma l'Astrée, and Le Manège/Malraux.

The 50th edition is scheduled for October 2-4, 2026, featuring Peyo and the Schtroumpfs as guests of honour. The 2026 programme also inaugurates a sister event, Sevrier BD, in a neighbouring commune, signalling measured geographic expansion of the association's footprint within the Savoie département.

Name

Chambéry

Legal name

Association Chambéry BD

Website

https://chamberybd.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Chambéry BD is a French non-profit association, founded in 1977 in Chambéry, that organises France's second-oldest bande dessinée festival, drawing roughly 15,000 visitors annually to meet ~60 featured authors and awarding the multi-category Éléphants d'Or prizes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Comic book festival and cultural events

NAICS

Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71), Other Performing Arts Companies (711190)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Cultural Festivals & Events Organizations (BPAGAHAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Arts & Culture Community Festivals (Multidisciplinary Arts Weeks) (MPAGAEAG), Consumer & Public Shows (B2C) Organizers (THAHABAC)

Keywords

• Comic book festival
• Bande dessinée events
• Cultural association
• Literary awards ceremony
• Author signing conventions

Headquarters

HQ city

Chambéry

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket sales: Festival entry tickets sold at tiered pricing (full, reduced, family, free for under 11s) for single-day, 2-day, and 3-day passes.
2. Book and merchandise sales: On-site book sales through partner bookstore Excalibur; merchandise stalls; limited-edition prints sold to raise funds for the association.
3. Donations and supporter contributions: The association actively solicits donations and supporter memberships to fund festival operations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Chambéry BD organizes the annual three-day Festival International de la Bande Dessinée de Chambéry at Savoie Expo, featuring author signings, exhibitions, conferences, masterclasses, the BD Battle live drawing competition, and the Éléphants d'Or awards ceremony across nine categories. The association supplements the festival with year-round cultural programming, including four traveling BD exhibitions distributed to schools and libraries, the Sevrier BD sister-festival, and educational workshops in partnership with the ENAAI art school.

Product overview

The Festival International de la Bande Dessinée de Chambéry is a cultural event organization offering an annual comic book festival as its core product, supplemented by the Sevrier BD festival, the prestigious Éléphants d'Or awards ceremony, masterclasses, conferences, and traveling BD exhibitions. The organization partners with local educational institutions (ENAAI) and specialty bookstores (Excalibur) to deliver its programming, which includes autograph sessions, exhibitions, live drawing competitions, and educational workshops for all ages.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Festival International de la Bande Dessinée de Chambéry Annual three-day comic book (bande dessinée) festival held in Chambéry, France since 1977. The 2nd oldest BD festival in France, attracting 15,000 visitors annually with 60+ authors present. Features autograph sessions, exhibitions, conferences, animations, and the Éléphants d'Or awards ceremony.
• Éléphants d'Or Awards Prestigious BD awards with nine categories: Album of the Year, Best Script, Best Drawing, Youth Prize, Documentary Prize, Humor Prize, Hospital Committee Prize, Espoir Prize, and Lifetime Achievement. Trophies designed by André Franquin.
• Masterclasses and Conferences Educational sessions and conferences featuring comic book artists on topics such as illustrated narration, post-apocalyptic genre, and AI in BD creation. Includes a dedicated professional day for librarians, teachers, and documentarians.
• Traveling BD Exhibitions Four traveling BD exhibitions distributed year-round to schools, libraries, and cultural institutions across Chambéry and the Savoie region: La Sagesse des Mythes (Greek myths), L'Affaire Zola (Dreyfus affair), Irena (Holocaust rescue), and La Bibliothécaire d'Auschwitz (Auschwitz library).
• BD Battle Competition

Quantifiable outcome

• 15,000 annual visitors
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Librairie Excalibur (Excalibur Comics)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 10 April 2026Librairie Excalibur at Chamnord shopping center is the official partner bookstore for the 2026 festival. Run by Frédérick Tognet, it serves all BD, comics, and manga enthusiasts. It is part of the independent bookstore network Canal BD. As the official partner, Excalibur plays a central role during the festival: highlighting books, promoting attending authors, and participating in author meetings and signings.
• ENAAI (École Nationale des Arts Appliqués et de l'Image)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerENAAI is a private higher education institution in Chambéry specializing in applied arts, illustration, BD, and animation. It has cultivated a close relationship with Chambéry BD for several years, with students creating festival signage and participating in drawing contests. The school counts 220 students and has a 90-100% pass rate.
• Canal BDminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCanal BD is a collective network of independent comic book specialty bookstores. Excalibur, the festival's partner bookstore, belongs to this network, which connects specialized BD retailers across France.
• Savoie ExpocoreOthersSavoie Expo is the venue hosting the 49th (2025) and 50th (2026) editions of the festival. Located at 1725 Av. du Grand Arietaz, 73000 Chambéry. Previously the festival was held at Le Manège conference center.
• Cinéma l'AstréeminorOthersCinema l'Astrée at 7 Bd du Théâtre, Chambéry, is a partner venue for festival film screenings. Hosted screenings of 'Mutafukaz' and 'Sous nos pieds, les étoiles' during the 2024 festival with director/author attendance.
• Le Manège / La Base / Malraux Scène NationalecoreOthersLe Manège conference center and La Base / Malraux Scène Nationale served as the primary festival venue (expositions, conferences, ceremonies) from earlier editions through 2024. The 2025 and 2026 editions moved to Savoie Expo while some events remain at Le Manège/Malraux.
• Sevrier BDminorOthersSevrier BD is a related BD festival held March 27-29, 2026, in Sevrier near Annecy. Both festivals celebrate BD culture in the Savoie region and cross-promote events on their respective websites.
• Le Tétras Libre (Centre de Sauvegarde de la Faune Sauvage des Pays de Savoie)minorOthersWildlife rescue and rehabilitation center present at the 2023 festival. Faced financial difficulties and launched a donation appeal to continue operations in 2024. Supported by the festival as a charitable partner.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Festival BD de Solliès-Ville: Established annual BD festival in southeastern France with author signings and exhibitions; a directly comparable regional BD festival of similar scale to Chambéry BD.
• Festival BD de Colomiers: Annual BD festival near Toulouse featuring author signings, exhibitions, and the Prix des écoles; comparable to Chambéry BD as a mid-sized regional French BD festival with an educational focus.
• Rendez-vous de la BD d'Amiens: Annual BD festival in Amiens with author signings, exhibitions, and educational programming; comparable scale and structure to Chambéry BD and one of the established regional BD events in France.
• Lyon BD Festival: Major annual BD festival in Lyon featuring author signings, exhibitions, and awards — directly comparable to Chambéry BD in format, audience, and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes regional positioning.
• BD Boum (Festival BD de Blois): Long-running French BD festival in Blois with author meetings, exhibitions, and awards; directly comparable regional BD festival with similar target audience and programming format.
• Quai des Bulles: Major BD festival held annually in Saint-Malo, France, featuring author signings, exhibitions, and an awards competition; a direct peer to Chambéry BD in the French regional BD festival circuit.

Regional players

• BD Festival Lausanne: Major BD festival in Lausanne, Switzerland — offering the same BD festival format (authors, exhibitions, awards) as Chambéry BD but serving a French-speaking Swiss audience rather than competing directly in France.

Broad incumbents

• Festival International de la Bande Dessinée d'Angoulême: The largest and most prestigious BD festival in France (founded 1974), drawing 100,000+ visitors annually. Chambéry BD explicitly references Angoulême as the older festival it is benchmarked against; it shares the same core offering (author signings, exhibitions, awards) at smaller scale.
• Comic Con France: Large-scale pop-culture convention held in France with significant BD and comics programming; not a direct BD-only competitor, but overlaps with Chambéry BD's audience and competes for visitor attention and author availability.

Others

• Sevrier BD: Smaller BD festival organized by the same Chambéry BD association in nearby Sevrier (March 27–29, 2026); not an independent peer but a sister event that cross-promotes with Chambéry BD and extends its programming reach in the Savoie region.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@ChamberyBD73
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/chamb%C3%A9ry
• Instagraminstagram.com/chambery_bd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Chambéry