Namur en Mai - festival des Arts Forains

What Namur en Mai - festival des Arts Forains does

Namur en Mai — Festival des Arts Forains is a Belgian non-profit (NeM ASBL, company number 0643.705.460) that produces an annual three-day street-arts festival in the historic city center of Namur, Wallonia. Founded in May 1996, the festival is now in its 30th edition (2026) and operates under the governance of Pastoo, a federation that also manages the LaSemo festival and Bucolic Brussels. Programming spans circus, theater, puppetry, juggling, acrobatics, music, cabaret, and traditional funfair attractions, delivered across more than 50 performances by both invited professional companies (Compagnies Invitées) and self-selected companies performing in public squares (Compagnies Accueillies). The festival monetizes through 1-day and 3-day passes, individual show tickets, and separate cabaret ticketing (under the "a p i c i s" sub-brand), while over half of performances are offered free. Subsidized access is provided through the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles Article 27 program, and an outreach initiative, "Namur en Mai vient à vous," brings performances to care homes, prisons, hospitals, and refugee centers.

Operations are lean — approximately 5 paid staff supported by a large volunteer base — with ticketing outsourced to Paylogic and transport logistics coordinated with TEC. Revenue is diversified across direct ticket sales, public institutional grants (Ville de Namur, Province de Namur, Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles, Région Wallonne, Loterie Nationale, Wallonie-Bruxelles International), and corporate partnerships (Ibis Namur, Mutualité Neutre, AVIQ, Office du Tourisme de Namur, Confluent, and media partners Vivacité and Auvio/RTBF). The 2027 edition is already announced for May 6, 7, and 8, 2027, and the festival recently deployed a post-event Typeform audience survey to inform future programming iteration.

Name

Namur en Mai - festival des Arts Forains

Legal name

NeM ASBL

Website

https://namurenmai.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Namur en Mai is a Belgian non-profit that produces an annual three-day street-arts festival in central Namur, delivering 50+ circus, theater, cabaret, and funfair performances for families and the general public each May, now in its 30th edition.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural Festival

NAICS

Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (711310), Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries (711), All Other Amusement and Recreation Industries (713990), Amusement, Gambling, and Recreation Industries (713)

SIC

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

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYMPAGAFAO

Local Community & Multi-Category Fairs

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Live Entertainment & Events (Concerts, Theater, Festivals)/Exhibitions, Fairs & Expos (Consumer/Public)

SECONDARYMPAGAFAJ

Arts, Crafts & Maker Fairs

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Live Entertainment & Events (Concerts, Theater, Festivals)/Exhibitions, Fairs & Expos (Consumer/Public)

SECONDARYTHAHAAAH

Fairgrounds & Expo Parks

Travel & Hospitality/MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences & Exhibitions)/Conference & Convention Venues (Convention Centers, Civic Centers)

Keywords

• Street arts festival
• Cultural event services
• Live performance festival
• Performing arts festival
• Street entertainment events

Headquarters

HQ city

Namur

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales - Festival Passes: The festival sells 1-day and 3-day passes that provide access to all paid performances except cabarets. Individual show tickets are also available for purchase online via Paylogic or on-site subject to availability.
2. Cabaret Tickets: Separate ticketed cabaret performances (Acte I and Acte II) are sold in addition to or bundled with festival passes.
3. Sponsorship and Institutional Funding: The festival receives support from public institutions including the Ville de Namur, Province de Namur, Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles, Région Wallonne, Wallis-Bruxelles International, and the Loterie Nationale, as well as corporate sponsors such as Ibis, TEC, Mutualité Neutre, AVIQ, and others. These partnerships contribute to operational funding.
4. Article 27 Reduced-Price Tickets: The festival participates in the Article 27 program, offering discounted access to beneficiaries of the Federation Wallonia-Brussels for 1 ticket plus 5 euros for a 1-day pass, providing an accessible pricing tier for low-income attendees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Namur en Mai is an annual three-day street arts festival held each May in the historic city center of Namur, Belgium, transforming public squares, streets, and enclosed venues into an open-air theater. The festival offers 50+ professional circus, theater, puppetry, juggling, acrobatics, cabaret, and music performances through curated invited companies and application-based welcome companies, alongside a traditional funfair with rides and wooden games. Tickets are sold as 1-day passes, 3-day passes, and individual show tickets via the Paylogic platform, while over half of the performances are offered free of charge, supported by public institutional funding and corporate sponsorships.

Product overview

Namur en Mai is an annual street arts festival held in Namur, Belgium, offering a diverse portfolio of products centered around live performance experiences. The core offering is the three-day Festival des Arts Forains featuring circus, theatre, puppetry, juggling, aerial arts, dance, and music performances. The festival operates two distinct ticketing products: Passes (1-day and 3-day) providing broad access to paid performances, and individual show tickets for specific performances. Additionally, the festival offers cabaret experiences under the 'a p i c i s' brand with two distinct acts: Acte I (family-friendly) and Acte II (adult-oriented burlesque). The programming is structured into two streams - Compagnies Invitées (curated professional companies in enclosed venues) and Compagnies Accueillies (application-based companies in public spaces), plus free street performances via Billetterie Libre.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• a p i c i s: Cabaret brand for the festival, with Acte I (Rivière Enchantée - family cabaret) and Acte II (Reflets Nocturnes - burlesque cabaret). Conceived and directed by Simon Paco.

Products and services

• Festival des Arts Forains - Namur en Mai Annual three-day street arts festival held each May in the city center of Namur, featuring circus, theatre, puppetry, juggling, aerial performances, music, and cabaret shows by both invited professional companies and self-selected companies performing in public spaces.
• Pass 1 Jour

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 50 performances delivered in 3 days, serving tens of thousands of festival-goers across the region
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Wallonie-Bruxelles International (WBI)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026WBI provides international development support to the festival, helping to position Namur en Mai within broader international cultural exchange frameworks.
• Ville de NamurcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe City of Namur is the primary institutional host and partner of the festival. The city provides access to public spaces, streets, and squares for performances, contributes to festival funding, and manages related urban mobility and logistics during the event. The city is listed as a core partner in the festival's partner section.
• Fédération Wallonie-BruxellescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFédération Wallonie-Bruxelles is a key institutional funder and supporter of the festival. It contributes funding through the Services Général de la Création Artistique - Service des Arts forains, du Cirque et de la Rue, specifically dedicated to street arts, circus, and outdoor performance. The federation also provides Article 27 program access for subsidized tickets.
• Région WallonnecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Walloon Region provides institutional funding and support to the festival as part of its broader cultural development strategy for Wallonia.
• Province de NamurminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Province de Namur contributes to festival funding and support as a regional institutional partner.
• TEC (Transport en Commun)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTEC is the regional public transport operator in Wallonia and partners with the festival to facilitate visitor access. TEC bus routes serve the Namur city center during the festival, and the partnership includes joint mobility communications to help festival-goers plan their journeys.
• PaylogiccoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPaylogic is the official ticketing partner for the festival, providing the online ticket sales platform for passes, individual show tickets, and cabaret entries. Paylogic handles ticket delivery, order management, and customer service for ticket-related inquiries.
• Office du Tourisme de NamurminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNamur's official tourism office partners with the festival to promote Namur as a cultural destination, leveraging the festival to attract visitors to the city and the broader region.
• ConfluentminorGTM or Marketing PartnerConfluent appears as a partner in the festival's partner section, likely contributing to regional cultural or commercial promotion activities.
• Ibis NamurminorGTM or Marketing PartnerIbis Namur is listed as a partner, likely providing hotel accommodation services or sponsorship support to the festival.
• Mutualité NeutreminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMutualité Neutre, a mutual health insurance provider, is listed as a festival partner, potentially providing health/safety support or promotional partnership.
• AVIQ (Agence pour une Vie de Qualité)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerAVIQ, the Walloon agency for quality of life, is listed as a partner, potentially contributing to accessibility or wellbeing-related programming support.
• Article 27 ASBLcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorArticle 27 is a non-profit organization affiliated with Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles that enables low-income beneficiaries to access cultural events at subsidized rates. The partnership allows Article 27 beneficiaries to exchange vouchers for festival passes at reduced prices (1 ticket + €5 for 1-day pass, 2 tickets + €10 for 2-day, 3 tickets + €15 for 3-day), supporting the festival's accessibility mission.
• Vivacité RTBFminorGTM or Marketing PartnerVivacité, the French-language public radio station of RTBF, is listed as a media partner, likely providing promotional coverage and broadcast visibility for the festival.
• Auvio (RTBF)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerAuvio, the streaming platform of RTBF, is listed as a partner, potentially providing digital media support or content distribution for the festival.
• BoukeminorOthersBouke is listed as a festival partner, potentially representing a regional cultural organization or initiative.
• PastoocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPastoo is the organizing federation behind Namur en Mai. It is a cultural organization that also manages the pluridisciplinary festival LaSemo and the car-free citizen event Bucolic Brussels. Pastoo is responsible for the festival's overall organization, artistic direction, and operations.
• KIKK Festival / Namur UNESCO Creative CityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNamur is designated a UNESCO Creative City for digital arts and hosts the KIKK Festival. While not explicitly listed as a festival partner, the festival's website references Namur's creative city status as part of the broader cultural context, suggesting alignment with digital arts and creative sector stakeholders in the region.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Festival Off d'Avignon: France's largest street and performing arts festival held annually in July. Comparable in offering a multi-day program of theater, circus, and street performances across a city center, with a mix of ticketed and free events.
• ZAT - Zones d'Activités Temporaires (Montpellier): Urban arts festival activating Montpellier's public spaces with street performances, installations, and circus. Comparable event-driven model deploying free and ticketed performances across a city.
• Festival de la Cité (Lausanne): Swiss street arts festival transforming Lausanne's old town into an open-air theater with multidisciplinary performances. Closely comparable format, audience (families, cultural enthusiasts), and urban-deployment model.
• Les Rencontres Inattendues: Brussels-based street arts festival featuring circus, theater, and puppetry in public spaces. Direct Belgian peer with shared Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles funding ecosystem and similar free/ticketed programming model.
• LaSemo: Pluridisciplinary festival also organized by Pastoo, the same federation that runs Namur en Mai. Direct sibling with shared back-office, artist sourcing, and sponsorship pool; both are Walloon summer festivals targeting similar family and cultural audiences.
• Festival Chahuts: Street arts festival in Strasbourg featuring circus, theater, and puppetry in public spaces. Comparable in delivering multidisciplinary street programming across a city center with accessible ticketing.
• Le FAR - Festival des Arts de la Rue (Brest): French street arts festival in Brest featuring circus, theater, and acrobatics across public spaces. Comparable in offering free and ticketed programming with a strong family orientation and city-center deployment.
• Festival Mondial des Théâtres de Marionnettes: Puppetry and performing arts festival in Charleville-Mézières, France. Comparable as a multi-day street/indoor arts festival with similar programming categories (puppetry, theater, circus) and a mix of ticketed and free events.

Regional players

• Festival de Liège: Major Walloon city festival featuring street performances, theater, and music in Liège's public spaces. Operates in the same regional cultural ecosystem and competes for the same Walloon institutional funding and audiences.
• KIKK Festival: Digital and creative arts festival also based in Namur under the UNESCO Creative City framework. Regional peer sharing the same city, creative ecosystem, and institutional partners, though focused on digital arts rather than street arts.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/namurenmai

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Namur en Mai - festival des Arts Forains