L'Odyssée

What L'Odyssée does

L'Odyssée is a non-profit cultural festival and event organization operating under French Association loi 1901 law, carried by La Guinguette Pirate in close partnership with Petit Bain (SCIC). Founded in 2019 and headquartered at 7 Port de la Gare in Paris's 13th arrondissement, the organization produces an annual festival celebrating the Seine and the canals of Île-de-France, with the fifth edition held June 22-23, 2024 at Place de la Pointe, Pantin. The core offering combines participatory boat-building workshops (chantiers navals) producing PRAM wooden sailing dinghies designed by architect Youri Guedj (BOW agency), nautical regattas and parades, concerts, and discussion forums under formats including RadiOdyssée (audio documentary), Assemblée du Fleuve (River Assembly discussions), and Course en Solidaire (a solidarity-oriented nautical challenge with social-inclusion elements).

The organization's underlying platform is a community-led methodology rather than software: each PRAM is constructed over five weeks by amateur builders in partnership with neighborhood associations, then artistically decorated to reflect its host community. A fleet of 12+ PRAMs operates across the Seine, Canal Saint-Denis, and Canal de l'Ourcq, supported by a network of 12+ cultural venue partners including 6b (Saint-Denis), Théâtre des Habitants / La Poudrerie (Sevran), Barboteur, Metaxu, and Dock B (Pantin). The 2024 edition was labeled as an official event of the Paris 2024 Cultural Olympiad.

The business model is grant-and-donation funded rather than commercial: institutional revenue comes from public bodies including Paris 2024, Département de la Seine-Saint-Denis, Ville de Paris, and DRAC Île-de-France (Ministry of Culture), supplemented by public donations via HelloAsso and a partnership with the Fonds de Dotation Artutti. Core events are free and open-access, with nominal fees (~10€) on certain evening programming; pricing is effectively a freemium model. Customer/beneficiary segments are Île-de-France residents and visitors attending events, alongside social-integration organizations that use the shipyards as professional insertion pathways. With approximately 132 people listed in the organization's network and no disclosed revenue, L'Odyssée functions as a publicly subsidized cultural and social-impact platform rather than a revenue-generating enterprise.

Name

L'Odyssée

Legal name

Association Loi 1901 LA GUINGUETTE PIRATE

Website

https://odysseeseine.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural Events and Community Festivals

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Kayaking, Canoeing & SUP Coastal Tours (THAAAIAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Open Water Swimming Events (OWS Races, Swim Challenges) (MPAKAIAF)

Keywords

• Cultural festivals
• Community events
• Boat building
• Waterway culture
• River heritage

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Public Funding and Grants: L'Odyssée receives institutional support from Paris 2024, the Department of Seine-Saint-Denis, the City of Paris, and DRAC Île-de-France (Ministry of Culture). This funding supports the annual festival programming and participatory activities.
2. Donations and Fundraising: The organization runs an annual donation campaign (appel à dons) through platforms like HelloAsso, inviting public contributions to support shipyard expansion, new Course en Solidaire events, professional insertion programs, and public capacity development.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

L'Odyssée is a French non-profit association (Association Loi 1901) operated by La Guinguette Pirate that organizes an annual cultural festival on the Seine and Parisian canals. Its activities include hands-on PRAM boat-building workshops, community gatherings (Assemblée du Fleuve), and a companion audio program (RadiOdyssée), with the festival concept originating in 2018 and formally launched in 2019.

Product overview

L'Odyssée is a cultural festival and event organization (Association loi 1901) operated by La Guinguette Pirate in collaboration with Petit Bain (SCIC). Rather than a unified software product, the organization offers a portfolio of interconnected cultural and nautical programs: the PRAM sailboats and participatory shipyard workshops form the core identity; annual festivals (temps forts) serve as the main public-facing events featuring parades, concerts, nautical races, and the OFNI floating objects; RadiOdyssée provides audio documentary content; Assemblée du Fleuve facilitates discussions and knowledge-sharing; and the Course en Solidaire and La TraverSeine offer competitive and recreational nautical activities. All offerings center on reclaiming the Seine and Paris-region canals as shared public spaces.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Annual Odyssée Festival on the Seine
• PRAM Boat Building Workshops
• Assemblée du Fleuve
• RadiOdyssée Podcast

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 300 participants involved in the 2023 Sevran parade construction

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

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

• La Guinguette PiratecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociation loi 1901 that carries L'Odyssée as its main cultural project. Provides organizational framework, leadership (Director Ricardo Esteban), and operational support for the festival and participatory shipyard programs.
• Petit Bain (SCIC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSCIC (cooperative company of collective interest) working in close partnership with La Guinguette Pirate. Hosts events at Port de la Gare, Paris 13. Director Ricardo Esteban also serves as direction.
• 6b (Saint-Denis)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCultural venue in Saint-Denis that hosts participatory boat-building workshops and the annual Guinguette de l'Odyssée event on Canal Saint-Denis.
• Théâtre des Habitants / La Poudrerie (Sevran)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTheater in Sevran that hosts annual L'Odyssée programming as part of its season, including the parade and boat construction activities along Canal de l'Ourcq.
• Paris 2024 / Olympiade CulturelleflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial partner of the Cultural Olympiad leading to Paris 2024 Olympic Games. L'Odyssée is recognized as an official cultural event of the Paris 2024 Olympics.
• Ars LongamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociation that runs Harbor project (New European Bauhaus initiative) in partnership with L'Odyssée. Organizes Assemblée du Fleuve (River Assembly) discussions and workshops.
• Eau dans la ville (CD93)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDepartmental organization in Seine-Saint-Denis focused on urban water issues. Partner for Assemblée du Fleuve health and wellbeing conversations.
• Water FamilyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociation focused on water education and awareness. Partner for workshops including Le Jeu du Grand Cycle de l'Eau at Assemblée du Fleuve.
• Atelier 21minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociation proposing Paléo H2O project: collective intelligence archive of water-related inventions. Co-facilitates Assemblée du Fleuve workshops.
• Véronique RuggiaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerComedian, theater director, filmmaker, and troupe leader who creates collective water history workshops for children (6-12 years) at Assemblée du Fleuve.
• Agence Vraiment VraimentminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDesign agency facilitating citizen engagement and democracy conversations at Assemblée du Fleuve.
• Les Gardien·ne·s de la SeineminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerActivist organization defending river ecosystems. Partner for citizenship and democracy conversation at Assemblée du Fleuve.
• Fluctuation / Relais Culture EuropeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCultural organizations partnering for art and culture conversations at Assemblée du Fleuve, focused on the river as a cultural scene.
• Eau de ParisminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerParis water utility. Partner for heritage and innovation conversations about water at Assemblée du Fleuve.
• Eau Île-de-FranceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional water authority. Partner for heritage conversations about water innovation and legacy at Assemblée du Fleuve.
• Wild LegalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLegal organization advocating for river representation and rights. Partner for citizenship conversation at Assemblée du Fleuve.
• Collectif GammaresminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollective creating tarot card designs inspired by Tarot de Marseille for Le Tarot du Ruisseau workshop at Assemblée du Fleuve.
• Vera IconicaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTarot reader facilitating Le Tarot du Ruisseau (Tarot of the Stream) workshops at Assemblée du Fleuve and Le Cabinet de Vera Iconica.
• BarboteurmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCultural venue in Pantin providing performance space and stage for L'Odyssée nautical festival events including DJ sets, concerts, and Le Bal des Sirènes.
• MetaxumajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCultural venue (barge) in Pantin hosting concerts and events during L'Odyssée festival including nocturnal programming.
• Dock BmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCultural venue in Pantin hosting performances, concerts, and the Assemblée du Fleuve during L'Odyssée festival.
• Ourcq Can'Ohé Club (Sevran)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWater sports club in Sevran specializing in canoeing and kayaking, participating in L'Odyssée activities along Canal de l'Ourcq.
• Direction Jeunesse et Sport de la Ville de ParisminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerParis municipal department for youth and sports providing partnership for nautical activities and ephemeral nautical base at Paris Plages.
• Le Musée des ÉgoutsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerParis Sewer Museum participating in Nuit Fleuve 2023 with 24-hour non-stop programming across 12 partner sites.
• L'Urban BoatminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUrban boat project participating in Nuit Fleuve 2023, offering musical performances and river experiences.
• La TraverseineminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization coordinating the annual Traverseine paddle/kayak event from Paris to Sèvres, participating in Nuit Fleuve 2023.
• L'AdamantminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBarge venue hosting surprise artistic performances during Nuit Fleuve 2023 as part of the 24-hour continuous programming.
• Les AmarresminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThird-place venue (tiers-lieu) at 24 quai d'Austerlitz hosting Nuit Fleuve 2023 programming.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Solidays: Major French annual music and solidarity festival (Hippodrome de Longchamp). Comparable as a large-scale French cultural festival with strong social mission and donor/partnership funding; bigger in scale and budget.
• Festival d'Avignon: France's premier annual performing arts festival. Comparable as a destination cultural festival with public-institution backing and free/public programming components, but at a far larger scale and longer history.
• Fête de la Musique: National free cultural celebration organized across France every June 21. Comparable as a France-wide, free, public-institutional cultural event with a similar June timing to L'Odyssée's festival.

Regional players

• Le Voyage à Bordeaux (Bordeaux River Festival): Bordeaux's seasonal riverfront cultural and sporting programming along the Garonne. Comparable as a waterway-centered cultural/sports activation, but in a different French region.

Direct peers

• Voyage à Nantes: Annual cultural summer festival run as a Société Publique Locale that activates an entire city through tours, art installations, and events. Highly comparable to L'Odyssée's city-wide Seine/waterway activation model and community-engagement ethos.
• Carnaval de Paris: Annual Paris parade and street carnival featuring floats, music, and community participation. Comparable in free public parade format, community co-construction (floats), and Parisian cultural positioning.
• Les Tombées de la Nuit: Annual cultural festival in Rennes combining urban interventions, parades, and free public programming. Comparable in scale, free-event model, and reliance on municipal and institutional funding.
• Paris Plages: The City of Paris's annual summer activation of the Seine and Canal de l'Ourcq with beaches, sports, and cultural programming. Directly comparable to L'Odyssée in geography, free public-event model, and Seine/canal activation mandate.

Others

• Naval groups / Glénans (Les Glénans): Major French non-profit sailing school with a fleet of training boats and a mission to democratize access to sailing. Comparable in non-profit nautical training/co-construction ethos, though focused on sailing instruction rather than cultural festivals.

Emerging players

• Nuit Blanche Paris: Annual all-night contemporary art event in Paris with free installations across the city. Comparable in its free, overnight, multi-site curatorial approach (cf. L'Odyssée's 24-hour Nuit Fleuve 2023).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubesoundcloud.com/radiodyssee
• Facebookfacebook.com/lodyssee.seine
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/odysseeseine
• Instagraminstagram.com/lodyssee.seine

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 L'Odyssée