FLIP - Festival Ludique International de Parthenay (FLIP)

What FLIP - Festival Ludique International de Parthenay (FLIP) does

FLIP (Festival Ludique International de Parthenay) is an annual public gaming festival held in Parthenay, France, founded in 1984 and organized by the Communauté de communes de Parthenay-Gâtine, a French intercommunal government authority (EPCI). The event occupies approximately 35,000 m² of urban space across more than a dozen themed villages covering board games, video games, children's games, medieval games, simulation games, sports games, indie creator showcases, and accessibility-focused gaming, with 4,000+ titles available for trial play, 4,000 seating places, and 350+ seasonal game animators. Entry is free for all visitors. The festival is anchored by several formal programs: the Trophées FLIP awards (for creators, publishers, and video games), the ÉducaFLIP educational-games label, the Silver FLIP senior-friendly label, and the JAM FLIP game-jam competition, alongside the Woopy mascot brand. Mascot and merchandise lines extend the festival's IP beyond the event window.

The business model is publicly funded rather than commercially monetized. Revenue is sourced from the territorial authority's public budget, departmental and regional public funding (Département des Deux-Sèvres, Région Nouvelle-Aquitaine), and a recurring roster of corporate sponsors including Crédit Agricole, Maif, Nickelodeon, JouéClub, and Cultura. Ancillary income is generated through official boutiques, food and beverage concessions, and entry fees for prize-bearing competitions. Customer segments span families, seniors, educational institutions, video gamers, indie game creators and publishers, and players with disabilities, all served at zero admission cost.

Operationally, the festival is supported by a small permanent team of 16 employees under chief coordinator Thierry Blais and the presidency of Jean-Michel Prieur, with seasonal staffing scaled up to 350+ animateurs during the event window. Marketing is executed through the jeux-festival.com website, newsletter, FLIP TV video content, Facebook, and earned media. The 2026 edition is scheduled for July 8–19, demonstrating continued annual cadence and operational continuity following weather-related disruptions in July 2025. There is no disclosed AI/ML capability, no venture or private equity involvement, and no M&A activity; FLIP operates as a publicly-financed cultural asset rather than a commercial enterprise.

Name

FLIP - Festival Ludique International de Parthenay (FLIP)

Legal name

Communauté de communes de Parthenay-Gâtine

Website

https://jeux-festival.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

FLIP is a free annual public gaming festival in Parthenay, France, organized by the local Communauté de communes since 1984, serving families, seniors, educators, creators, and gamers across 12+ themed villages with 4,000+ games and 350+ animators.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural Festival

NAICS

Amusement Parks and Arcades (7131)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Family, Kids & Education Fairs (MPAGAFAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Arts, Crafts & Maker Fairs (MPAGAFAJ)

Keywords

• Annual gaming festival
• Board games event
• Family entertainment festival
• Cultural event organization
• Game creator awards

Headquarters

HQ city

Parthenay

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Public/Government Funding: The festival is organized by the Communauté de communes de Parthenay-Gâtine, a public territorial organization, indicating that core funding comes from public sources and local government budgets.
2. Partner Sponsorships: Major partners including Nickelodeon, JouéClub, Cultura, Crédit Agricole, Maif, and regional government bodies provide financial and material support in exchange for brand visibility and association with the festival.
3. Festival Activities Revenue: Various concours (competitions), boutique shops, and food/beverage services generate ancillary revenue during the festival period.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

FLIP is an annual free public gaming festival held in Parthenay, France, featuring over 4,000 board games, toys, and video games spread across 35,000 m² of themed villages (children, medieval, multimedia, simulation, accessibility, creators, campus) with 350+ professional game animators. The festival operates award programs (Trophées FLIP for creators/publishers, ÉducaFLIP for educational games, Silver FLIP for senior-friendly games) and a game creation contest (JAM FLIP), serving families, hobbyists, game creators, educators, and seniors over an 11-day period each July.

Product overview

FLIP is an annual gaming festival held in Parthenay, France, featuring over 4000 games across multiple themed villages including board games, video games, medieval activities, children's entertainment, and creator showcases. The festival organizes prestigious awards programs (Trophées FLIP for creators and publishers, EducaFLIP for educational games, Silver FLIP for senior-friendly games) and game creation competitions (JAM FLIP). The event spans 35,000 m² with 350+ game animators and 4000+ seats, operating with free admission for all visitors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Trophées FLIP: Awards for game creators, publishers, and video game developers presented during the festival
• ÉducaFLIP
• Silver FLIP
• JAM FLIP
• Woopy

Quantifiable outcome

• 40+ years of continuous operation as premier French gaming festival

Named customers1 record

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, major, core and minor.

• Parthenay, Cité des JeuxflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerParthenay municipality branding itself as the 'City of Games' - core territorial partner and host location for FLIP festival.
• NickelodeonmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerInternational entertainment brand partnership for brand visibility and family audience attraction.
• JouéClubmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerMajor French toy retailer - key partner providing product support and audience cross-promotion.
• CulturamajorGTM or Marketing PartnerFrench cultural products retailer - partner for cultural programming and cross-promotion.
• Hyper UcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerHypermarket retailer partner for local commercial support.
• AGON by AOCcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerGaming monitor brand providing equipment support for video gaming areas.
• PhilibertcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBoard game retailer/distributor partner operating at the festival.
• Tiki ÉditionsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGame publisher partner with presence at the festival.
• Le Temple du JeucoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSpecialized board game store partner with dedicated presence.
• CMA Nouvelle-Aquitaine – Deux-SèvresminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChamber of Trades and Crafts providing support for artisan/games craftsmanship activities.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Origins Game Fair: Major US tabletop gaming convention featuring board games, RPGs, and miniatures tournaments with family programming. Comparable to FLIP in its multi-format gaming programming and family audience, though on a smaller scale and paid ticketed model.
• Gen Con: The largest tabletop gaming convention in North America, featuring board games, RPGs, tournaments, and an industry trade show. Comparable to FLIP in its mix of board gaming, tournaments, and creator/publisher showcases, though on a paid ticketed model with stronger US industry focus.
• Spiel Essen: The world's largest dedicated board game trade fair, held annually in Essen, Germany. Directly comparable to FLIP as a consumer-facing games festival with publisher showcases and creator exposure, but operates on a paid trade-show model rather than FLIP's free public festival format.
• Lucca Comics & Games: Italy's flagship comics and games festival held annually in Lucca, combining board games, video games, RPGs, and family programming. Comparable to FLIP in its broad gaming + family + creator showcase mix, with a strong regional/national cultural-event positioning.
• UK Games Expo: UK's largest hobby games convention featuring board games, card games, RPGs, miniatures, and tournaments. Directly comparable to FLIP across family appeal, publisher showcases, and tournament programming, with similar free/paid hybrid access models.
• Festival International des Jeux de Cannes: Major French gaming festival held annually in Cannes, offering board game discovery, publisher showcases, and tournaments. Directly competes with FLIP for French and European gaming-festival visitors and creator attention, with a similar broad audience appeal.

Regional players

• Japan Boardgame Festival: Annual Japanese board game festival with publisher showcases, tournaments, and family programming. Comparable to FLIP as a national-scale board game festival but primarily serves the Japanese market, with a paid admission model.
• Festival du Jeu de Montpellier: Regional French gaming festival held in Montpellier with board game focus and family programming. Comparable to FLIP at a smaller scale, serving as a regional French counterpart that draws on overlapping publisher and creator networks.
• Festival du Jeu Vannes: Regional French gaming festival in Brittany featuring board games, family programming, and tournaments. Comparable to FLIP's free public festival model at a smaller regional scale, drawing from the same French publisher ecosystem.

Emerging players

• PAX (Penny Arcade Expo): Major video-game-focused convention series in the US and Australia featuring tournaments, demos, and creator content. Comparable to FLIP's Village Multimédia and esports tournaments, but with a far narrower (digital gaming) audience focus and a paid ticketed model.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/festival.jeux.Flip
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/festival-ludique-international-de-parthenay-flip

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 FLIP - Festival Ludique International de Parthenay (FLIP)