Historalia Productions

What Historalia Productions does

Historalia Productions BV is a privately held Belgian outdoor theater company founded in 2014 (with predecessor collaboration from 2012) and headquartered in Westerlo, Belgium. The company produces large-scale historical open-air musical spectacles performed on heritage locations, principally Kasteel de Merode (the family domain of General Director Simon de Merode), with additional venues including Kasteel Wijnendale and, since 2025, Hever Castle in the UK. Productions feature 100–350 performers per show, thousands of period costumes, and original scores; recent and upcoming titles include Marie-Antoinette, Albert I, Pierre Paul Rubens, 1830, Damien, Jeanne d'Arc, Anne Boleyn, and Napoleon (2026). The technical platform underpinning each production includes per-seat wireless audio headset systems, LED screens and projections, multi-decor site configurations that move audiences through different scenes, and outdoor amphitheater infrastructure integrated into castle estates.

The company operates an event-driven, seasonal business concentrated in August–September at the flagship venue, with a diversified revenue model spanning tiered ticket sales (Bronze €43.50 to Platine €97), VIP packages (castle dinners, premium seating, beverage vouchers), group reservations for 20+ persons (up to 15% discount), on-site food and beverage (cashless wristbands), and customized sponsorship/partnership packages. Distribution is primarily direct-to-consumer via the company's website (historalia.be) and EventSquare ticketing, supplemented by B2B sales to companies, associations, cultural organizations, and touroperators. Customer segments span general public (families, individuals aged 10+), corporate clients, and premium/VIP buyers. Since 2014 the company has served over 495,000 visitors across 10 productions, employing 13 people (6 core staff) supplemented by a community ecosystem of 1,500+ volunteers and 2,500+ cumulative actors. Marketing relies on bilingual (Dutch/French) websites, Meta advertising, email newsletters, blog content, and earned media/PR.

Historalia is independently owned with no disclosed external funding or parent company. Revenue figures are not publicly disclosed. The company is led by General Director Simon de Merode and a long-standing creative team including director Luc Stevens (12+ year partnership), composer Sam Gevers, and screenwriter Jef Hoogmartens, with star casting (e.g., Jelle Cleymans as Napoleon in 2026) anchoring audience draw.

Name

Historalia Productions

Legal name

HISTORALIA PRODUCTIONS BV

Website

https://historalia.be

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Historalia Productions is a Belgian outdoor theater company that produces large-scale historical musical spectacles on heritage locations, principally Kasteel de Merode in Westerlo, serving families, corporate groups, and tourists via tiered ticketing, VIP packages, and group reservations during seasonal August–September runs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Outdoor Historical Live Entertainment

NAICS

Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (711110), Performing Arts Companies (7111), Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (71131)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Touring Theatre Productions (MPAGABAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Theater, Musicals & Performing Arts (THAJAFAB), Performing Arts & Cultural Event Venues (Theaters, Museums) (THAHAAAG), Theater & Performing Arts Venue Operations (Playhouses, Opera Houses) (MPAGALAB)

Keywords

• Outdoor historical musicals
• Heritage venue performances
• Castle theatrical spectacles
• Immersive audio headsets
• Large-scale period productions

Headquarters

HQ city

Westerlo

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Primary revenue stream from individual and group ticket sales across multiple price tiers (Platine €97, Prestige €83.50, Or €69.50, Argent €58.50, Bronze €43.50). Performances run August-September annually.
2. VIP Packages: Premium experiences including castle dinners, best seating positions, complimentary drinks, program booklets, reserved parking, and seat cushions/blankets. Priced at €97 (Platine tier) including all premium amenities.
3. Group Reservations: Group bookings for 20+ persons with discounts up to 15%. Targets companies for team events, associations, cultural organizations, and touroperators.
4. Food & Beverage: On-site catering with food trucks offering hot dogs and fries, bars with hot and cold beverages. Opens one hour before performances.
5. Sponsorship & Partnerships: Customized partnership formulas offered to sponsors and partners, including branded visibility at productions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Historalia Productions creates and stages large-scale open-air historical musical spectacles at heritage castle locations in Belgium and internationally. Each production is an original musical biography of a historical figure (e.g. Napoleon, Marie-Antoinette, Joan of Arc, Anne Boleyn, Father Damien, Rubens, Albert I), featuring hundreds of professional actors and volunteers, thousands of period costumes, and wireless per-seat audio headsets for immersive sound. Performances run seasonally (August-September) and are monetized via tiered ticket sales, group reservations, VIP castle-dinner packages, and corporate sponsorships.

Product overview

Historalia Productions is a Belgian outdoor theater company specializing in large-scale historical musical spectacles performed at heritage locations. The company operates a portfolio of productions featuring hundreds of performers, thousands of costumes, and live music. The core offerings include mainstage musical productions at castle domains, VIP packages with premium dining and seating, group reservations with discounts, and custom partnership arrangements for sponsors. Key productions include Napoleon (2026), 1830, Anne Boleyn, Jeanne d'Arc, Marie-Antoinette, Damien, Pierre Paul Rubens, and Albert I.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Napoleon (2026)
• Jeanne d'Arc (2024)
• Anne Boleyn (2025)
• 1830 (2025 revival)
• Marie-Antoinette (2023 revival)
• Damiaan (Damien) (2023)
• Pierre Paul Rubens (2018)
• Albert I (2016)
• Marie-Antoinette (2014 original)
• VIP Arrangement
• Group Reservations
• Custom Sponsorship & Partnership Packages

Quantifiable outcome

• 75% of Napoléon 2026 tickets already sold as of May 2026
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 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

Integration4 records

Feature3 records

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Studio 100: Studio 100 is the leading Belgian family entertainment group producing live theatrical shows, TV, and theme park attractions. Its Plopsaland parks and traveling musical productions compete for the same Belgian family/cultural audience and operate adjacent live-performance infrastructure to Historalia.
• Stage Entertainment: Stage Entertainment is the largest musical theater producer in the Netherlands and Belgium, staging large-scale ticketed musicals in fixed venues. It overlaps with Historalia on the musical-theater production and ticketing layer, though it operates indoors rather than on heritage sites.
• Efteling: Efteling is a major Dutch theme park whose offering includes elaborate live theatrical shows, fairy-tale forests, and immersive storytelling attractions. It competes for similar family/cultural tourist spend in the Benelux region and operates a comparable blend of storytelling and live performance at scale.

Direct peers

• Puy du Fou: Puy du Fou is the global benchmark for large-scale historical live shows staged on heritage sites, with multiple themed productions, immersive sets, and millions of annual visitors in France (and now Spain). Its show-based, non-ride-driven outdoor format is the closest direct analogue to Historalia's castle musical model.
• Theater Terra: Theater Terra is a Dutch producer specializing in open-air family theater and large-scale outdoor productions, including location-based shows. Its outdoor, family-oriented, large-cast format makes it a direct stylistic peer to Historalia in the low countries.

Regional players

• Walibi Belgium: Walibi Belgium is a Belgian theme park offering live shows and seasonal entertainment events that draw similar family and group audiences. It is a regional competitor for Belgian leisure/entertainment spend but does not focus on historical musical theater.
• Plopsaland De Panne: Plopsaland De Panne is a Belgian theme park built around Studio 100 IP, featuring live character shows and musical performances. It targets a similar family demographic in Belgium and competes for seasonal leisure budgets that might otherwise go to cultural outdoor events like Historalia's productions.

Others

• Center Parcs Europe: Center Parcs operates European holiday villages with on-site entertainment programming including family theater and live shows. While not a direct competitor, it shares distribution channels (group bookings, family packages, F&B on-site) and is an adjacent player in Belgian/Dutch family leisure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/historalia-productions

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 Historalia Productions