Les Rendez-vous de l'histoire

What Les Rendez-vous de l'histoire does

Les Rendez-vous de l'histoire is an annual history festival held in Blois, France, organized by the non-profit association Centre Européen de Promotion de l'Histoire (CEPH) under French association law (loi 1901). Founded in 1998, the festival is now in its 29th edition (October 7–11, 2026, themed "Les marchands") and functions as a free "popular university" serving the general public, educators, students, historians, publishers, and authors. The annual program combines over 600 debates and conferences featuring 1,000+ speakers, a Salon du Livre with 150+ publishers and 300 authors, a cinema cycle of roughly 50 films, dedicated educational (L'Atelier pédagogique) and economic (L'Économie) cycles, and a podcast cycle introduced in 2025, drawing approximately 50,000 festival-goers over four to five days.

The organization operates a digital stack built on Drupal CMS for its website (rdv-histoire.com) and Eventmaker for the free online reservation platform, with content distribution via a YouTube channel, the Ausha-hosted podcast "Les Archives des Rendez-vous de l'histoire," and a Médiathèque Numérique. Year-round engagement is sustained through Les Cafés Historiques, a network of themed public discussions in cafés across the Centre-Val de Loire region. The festival employs a core team of approximately nine staff year-round, expanded to roughly 18 during festival preparation, and is supported by extensive volunteer involvement.

The business model is that of a publicly funded non-profit rather than a revenue-generating enterprise. Primary funding comes from French government subsidies across multiple ministries (Culture, Education, Armed Forces, Justice), supplemented by territorial collectivities (Région Centre-Val de Loire, Conseil Départemental de Loir-et-Cher, City of Blois, Agglopolys) and private corporate sponsorships (CCI Loir-et-Cher, Leclerc, CIC Ouest). Individual tax-deductible donations are processed through the Helloasso platform, and media partnerships (France Culture, France Inter, Arte) amplify reach at no cash cost. Admission to all festival events is free for the public.

Name

Les Rendez-vous de l'histoire

Legal name

Centre Européen de Promotion de l'Histoire (CEPH)

Website

https://rdv-histoire.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Les Rendez-vous de l'histoire is a free, annual public history festival in Blois, France, organized by the non-profit CEPH since 1998, serving 50,000 attendees with 600+ debates, a 150-publisher book fair, and a cinema cycle each year.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public History Festival and Cultural Events

NAICS

Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Arts & Culture Community Festivals (Multidisciplinary Arts Weeks) (MPAGAEAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Local Community & Multi-Category Fairs (MPAGAFAO)

Keywords

• Public history festivals
• History conferences
• Cultural event programming
• Educational workshop programming
• Book fair organization

Headquarters

HQ city

Blois

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Public institutional subsidies: The festival is primarily funded by government subsidies from multiple public bodies including the Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Armed Forces, Ministry of Justice, as well as regional (Centre-Val de Loire) and local (Blois, Agglopolys) government. This is the dominant revenue source.
2. Private sponsorship and corporate partnerships: Private companies (including CCI, Leclerc, and others listed as partners) provide sponsorship and partnership support. The festival also receives individual donations (tax-deductible under French law articles 200 and 238 bis of the General Tax Code) through the Helloasso platform.
3. Individual donations: The festival accepts tax-deductible donations from individuals (66% tax reduction for individuals, 75% for IFI donors) to support the free-access mission of the festival.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Les Rendez-vous de l'histoire organizes a free, annual five-day public history festival in Blois, France, featuring over 600 debates and conferences with 1,000+ speakers, a Salon du livre book fair with 150+ publishers and 300 authors, a cinema cycle of approximately 50 films, an educational workshop program (L'Atelier pédagogique), an economics track, and podcast programs. The festival is free to attend and complemented by year-round Cafés Historiques events and digital archives.

Product overview

Les Rendez-vous de l'histoire is an annual free history festival held in Blois, France (29th edition from October 7-11, 2026), organized by the Centre Européen de Promotion de l'Histoire (CEPH). The festival functions as a 'popular university' featuring multiple interconnected programs: the core L'Histoire en débats conference program with 1,000 speakers and 600+ debates; the Salon du livre book fair with 200+ publishers and 300 authors; Le Cycle Cinéma with 50 films; L'Atelier pédagogique for educational sessions; L'Économie track for economic discussions; L'Histoire sous d'autres formes for alternative formats including podcasts and digital media; and Les Cafés historiques as year-round regional events. The festival serves approximately 50,000 attendees annually with free admission, supported by digital platforms including an online reservation system and media archive.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Les Cafés historiques: Year-round extension of the festival bringing historians to cafes and bars in cities across the Centre-Val de Loire region for public discussions.
• Les Archives des Rendez-vous de l'histoire

Products and services

• Les Rendez-vous de l'histoire Festival Annual free public history festival held in Blois featuring debates, conferences, book fair, cinema screenings, educational workshops, and cultural events dedicated to historical themes. The 29th edition runs October 7-11, 2026.
• L'Histoire en débats Core conference and debate program featuring over 600 debates and conferences with approximately 1,000 speakers covering historical topics aligned with the annual theme.
• Le Salon du livre History-focused book fair with over 150 publishers present, featuring more than 300 authors for signings and reader meetings, covering all periods from Antiquity to contemporary history.
• L'Atelier pédagogique Educational workshop program offering pedagogical activities dedicated to teachers and school groups, connecting school curricula with the festival's annual theme.
• L'Économie aux Rendez-vous de l'histoire Economics track featuring dialogues between economic actors and historians, economists, geographers, sociologists, and philosophers, focused on developing economic culture among the public.
• Le Cycle Cinéma Cinema program featuring approximately 50 films including historical fictions and documentaries, with annual documentary prizes awarded and screenings tied to the festival's annual theme.
• L'Histoire sous d'autres formes Program showcasing history through alternative formats including podcasts, digital media, exhibitions, concerts, and performances.
• Les Cafés historiques Year-round extension of the festival bringing history enthusiasts together with professional historians in bars and cafés across the Centre-Val de Loire region for themed discussions.
• Cycle Podcast Podcast program featuring five history podcasts recording live episodes in front of festival audiences, with episodes available online through podcast platforms.
• Médiathèque Numérique Digital media library providing video and audio recordings of festival editions, enabling on-demand access to conferences and events from previous years.

Quantifiable outcome

• 50,000 festival-goers annually across 4–5 days
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

30 partnerships are on record, tiered core, supporting and minor.

• Centre-Val de Loire Regional Council (Conseil Régional)coreOthersThe Regional Council of Centre-Val de Loire is a primary institutional backer, providing structural funding, support for the cinema cycle, and regional visibility for the festival.
• City of Blois (Ville de Blois)coreOthersThe City of Blois is the primary host city, providing the physical venues and infrastructure across the city centre, including the Halle aux Grains and Château Royal.
• Agglopolys (Blois urban community)coreOthersAgglopolys provides structural support as the intercommunal authority of Blois, contributing logistical and financial backing.
• Conseil Départemental de Loir-et-Cher (CD41)coreOthersThe departmental council of Loir-et-Cher provides financial and logistical support and serves as a venue host for festival events.
• Université de TourssupportingOthersUniversity of Tours provides academic support, venue access, and student involvement, including through the Antenne Universitaire Jaurès venue.
• INSPÉ Centre-Val de LoiresupportingOthersTeacher training institute (INSPÉ) is a venue host and academic partner contributing to the educational programming of the festival.
• Chambre de Commerce et d'Industrie (CCI) Loir-et-ChersupportingOthersCCI provides venue space (Campus CCI) and co-develops the Économie cycle programming as a key institutional partner.
• Centre National du Livre (CNL)supportingOthersThe French National Book Centre supports the book fair (Salon du Livre) and author participation.
• Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF)minorOthersBnF appears as a partner organization supporting the festival's cultural programming.
• France CulturesupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerNational public radio France Culture produces masterclasses at the festival and provides media coverage, amplifying the festival's reach nationally.
• France InterminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFrance Inter provides radio coverage and promotion of festival events to its national audience.
• France TélévisionsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFrance Télévisions group supports the cinema cycle and documentary programming as a media and co-production partner.
• DRAC Centre-Val de LoiresupportingOthersDirection Régionale des Affaires Culturelles provides state funding for culture and supports the cinema cycle alongside the CNC.
• SNCF Gares & ConnexionsminorOthersSNCF supports festival accessibility through rail travel information and promotional fares for attendees.
• Michel-Édouard LeclercsupportingOthersMichel-Édouard Leclerc serves as President of the Économie cycle for the 2026 edition. As a prominent retail executive, his involvement signals corporate sponsorship from the Leclerc group.
• Château de ChambordminorOthersChâteau de Chambord appears as a cultural partner, participating in the festival's extended programming and regional network.
• Les Arènes (publisher)supportingOthersLes Arènes publishing house is featured prominently with author Laure Grandbesançon and her history book projects at the 2026 book fair.
• Le Seuil (publisher)minorOthersLe Seuil appears as a publishing partner represented among the festival's book fair exhibitors.
• INA (Institut national de l'audiovisuel)supportingOthersINA supports the cinema and documentary programming, contributing archival footage and expertise for historical film content.
• ECPAD (Établissement de communication et de production audiovisuelle de la Défense)minorOthersECPAD contributes to the festival's audiovisual programming as a defense ministry archive and production partner.
• ArteminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEuropean TV channel Arte supports the cinema cycle and documentary programming with co-broadcasting and media coverage.
• Fondation La PosteminorOthersFondation La Poste appears as a cultural partner supporting the festival.
• Keolis / Azalys (Blois public transport)supportingOthersAzalys, the Blois urban transport network operated by Keolis, provides free electric shuttle services during the festival to help attendees move between venues.
• Réseau CanopésupportingOthersCanopé is an educational resource network for teachers and participates in the festival's L'Atelier pédagogique programming.
• INSIA Centre-Val de LoiresupportingOthersINSIA (higher education institute) is a venue host and academic partner for the festival.
• Banque de FranceminorOthersBanque de France appears as a venue host (one of the listed event locations) and institutional partner.
• Cinéma Les Lobis (Blois Art et Essai)supportingOthersLes Lobis art-house cinema hosts the cinema cycle screenings, with some paid ticket sessions. The cinema's director Rebecca Zlotowski serves as President of the 2026 Cinema Cycle.
• Université d'OrléanssupportingOthersUniversity of Orléans is an academic partner providing venue access and distributing festival programs to its campus community.
• EventmakersupportingTechnology or IntegrationEventmaker provides the online ticketing and reservation platform (reservation.rdv-histoire.com) for the festival.
• HelloassosupportingTechnology or IntegrationHelloasso is the donation collection platform used by the festival to receive tax-deductible individual contributions.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Comédie du Livre: Major French literary festival held in Montpellier, featuring author meet-and-greets, book signings, and public readings. Directly comparable to Les Rendez-vous de l'histoire's Salon du Livre component in terms of book-fair programming, free public access, and reliance on municipal/regional public funding.
• Rencontres d'Arles: Annual photography festival in Arles, France, drawing 100,000+ visitors across summer months. Directly comparable as a major French cultural festival with free/affordable access, multi-venue city deployment, deep public institutional backing, and year-round educational programming through associated schools.
• Hay Festival: International literary and ideas festival held annually in Hay-on-Wye (Wales) with global spinoff editions. Comparable to Les Rendez-vous de l'histoire as a multidisciplinary cultural festival combining author talks, debates, and educational programming with free/low-cost public access and strong institutional sponsorship.
• Cheltenham Literature Festival: One of the UK's oldest literary festivals, part of Cheltenham Festivals, with 600+ events annually. Comparable in programming density (600+ debates, 1,000+ speakers equivalent), public access model, sponsorship mix, and educational programming for schools.
• Edinburgh International Book Festival: Major annual book festival held in Edinburgh, featuring 600+ events with hundreds of authors. Comparable in scale, free/low-cost access philosophy, multidisciplinary programming (children's, debates, signings), and year-round community engagement initiatives.
• Festival d'Avignon: France's largest performing arts festival, held annually in Avignon with ~130,000+ attendees across multiple venues. Closely comparable to Les Rendez-vous de l'histoire as a major French cultural festival with free/ticketed mixed access, multi-venue city-wide format, multidisciplinary programming, and reliance on public subsidies plus private sponsorship.

Broad incumbents

• Fête de l'Humanité: Large annual cultural and political festival organized by L'Humanité newspaper, featuring book fair component, debates, and concerts. Comparable in combining book fair with cultural debates and free public access, though driven by political rather than academic mission.
• Salon du Livre de Paris: Major French book fair historically held at Porte de Versailles, Paris, with hundreds of publishers and tens of thousands of visitors. Comparable in book fair scale and publisher engagement but operates as a single-discipline trade fair rather than multidisciplinary festival.

Emerging players

• Festival America: Biennial French literary festival in Vincennes focused on North American literature. Comparable as a free public-facing French literary festival with author programming, public debates, and educational outreach, though thematically narrower in scope.
• Festival International du Film d'Histoire de Pézenas: Smaller French film festival dedicated specifically to history-themed cinema. Comparable in combining history focus with cinema programming, though operates at smaller scale and serves primarily as a film festival without the debate/book fair components.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xmastodon.social/@Rendezvousdelhistoire
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCFQqChKRikqXIh6yvsE-V-Q
• Facebookfacebook.com/rendezvous.delhistoire
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rvhblois
• Instagraminstagram.com/rendezvousdelhistoire/?hl=fr

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Les Rendez-vous de l'histoire