Festival international de science-fiction Les Utopiales

What Festival international de science-fiction Les Utopiales does

Festival international de science-fiction Les Utopiales is an annual multidisciplinary science-fiction festival held in Nantes, France, since 2000. It is owned and produced by La Cité des Congrès de Nantes, a Société Publique Locale (public local company) with €3,810,000 share capital, headquartered at 5 rue de Valmy, Nantes. The festival combines literature, cinema, comics, exhibitions, scientific conferences, board/role-playing/video games, and a dedicated youth program under one roof, with each edition built around a central annual theme.

The core product is the annual event itself, hosted at La Cité des Congrès de Nantes convention center. Supporting products include the Prix Utopiales literary prize (€3,000, awarded since 2007 to European SF authors), the Prix Extraordinaire, Prix Utopiales BD (graphic novels), Prix Utopiales Jeunesse, Prix Julia Verlanger, the Prix du meilleur scénario de Jeu de Rôle, the annual Concours de Nouvelles short-story competition for students aged 8–18, and an online merchandise shop selling posters, art prints, and apparel. The technology stack is conventional and non-AI: utopiales.org on WordPress, WeezEvent for ticketing, CIC Ouest / MONETICO for payments, Matomo for anonymized analytics, and Colissimo for shipping.

The business model is event-driven and B2C with a B2B professional layer. Revenue is generated through (1) ticket sales via WeezEvent, including a €3/student school rate and free passes for accompanying adults and youth during school holidays, and (2) e-commerce merchandise sales via the festival's own online storefront. Pricing for the general public is not publicly disclosed. Distribution is geographically single-country (France), with physical attendance at Nantes as the primary channel. Marketing relies on the website, newsletter, social media, a dedicated press/professional area, and an exclusive radio partnership with France Culture. Cumulative metrics across all editions since 2000 include 1,067+ films screened, 2,500+ authors/designers/researchers invited, and ~170 exhibitions and artistic installations; recent editions have drawn 75,000–100,000+ festival-goers.

Name

Festival international de science-fiction Les Utopiales

Legal name

La Cité, Le Centre des Congrès de Nantes

Website

https://utopiales.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Les Utopiales is an annual multidisciplinary science-fiction festival in Nantes, France, founded in 2000, combining literature, cinema, comics, games, exhibitions, and scientific conferences under one annual theme, serving general festival-goers, schoolchildren, and book-industry professionals with 75,000–100,000+ attendees per edition.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural Events

NAICS

Amusement Parks and Arcades (7131), Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers (71151), Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Retailers (459420), Hobby, Toy, and Game Retailers (459120)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Motion Picture Theaters (7830), Retail-Hobby, Toy & Game Shops (5945)

akta.pro primary industry

Fringe & Experimental Performing Arts (MPAGABAI)

Keywords

• Science fiction festival
• Cultural event programming
• Literary prize awards
• Short story competition
• Film festival curation

Headquarters

HQ city

Nantes

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket sales: The festival sells tickets to attend the annual event. Ticketing is handled via the WeezEvent platform on the festival's website. Pricing includes a reduced rate for school children (€3 per pupil) and free access for accompanying adults.
2. E-commerce shop (merchandise): The festival operates an online shop selling posters, art prints, and apparel themed around each edition's artwork. Products are shipped via Colissimo within metropolitan France. The shop uses the CIC Ouest payment gateway.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Les Utopiales is an annual multidisciplinary science-fiction festival held at La Cité des Congrès de Nantes, combining literature, cinema, comics, exhibitions, scientific conferences, and board/role-playing/video games under a single annual theme. Beyond the event itself, it operates the Prix Utopiales literary prize (€3,000), a youth short-story competition (Concours de Nouvelles), a dedicated school program, and an online merchandise shop selling posters, art prints, and apparel.

Product overview

Les Utopiales is an annual multidisciplinary science fiction festival in Nantes, France, operating since 2000. The core offering is the festival event itself (Literature, Sciences, Comics, Cinema, Exhibitions, Games), complemented by the Prix Utopiales literary prize, a youth short story competition (Concours de Nouvelles), educational programs for schools, and an online shop selling merchandise. The festival serves as a major European cultural event attracting 90,000-100,000 attendees annually, combining science fiction programming with scientific conferences, artistic exhibitions, and gaming activities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Festival International de Science-Fiction Les Utopiales
• Prix Utopiales
• Prix du Meilleur Scénario de Jeu de Rôle
• Concours de Nouvelles
• Scolaires Program
• Festival Shop (Boutique en ligne)

Quantifiable outcome

• 75,000–100,000+ annual festival-goers across multiple programming tracks
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• LudinantesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLudinantes is a partner in organizing the gaming/role-playing area of the festival. The partnership supports the 'Prix du meilleur scénario de Jeu de Rôle' (Best Role-Playing Game Scenario Award), which is open to all French-language screenwriters.
• AtlangamesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAtlangames co-organizes the gaming section of the festival alongside Ludinantes, contributing to the gaming space that features tabletop games, role-playing games, card games, figurines, LARP, and video games.
• INSERM (Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe INSERM (French National Institute of Health and Medical Research) has collaborated with the festival on scientific exhibitions, including 'À corps perdu' presented in 2017, which explored themes related to the human body and medical science in dialogue with science fiction.
• CEA (Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe CEA (French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission) partnered with the festival on scientific exhibitions, notably 'Voyage au centre de la galaxie' presented in 2018, bridging cutting-edge astrophysics research with science-fiction storytelling.
• Bibliothèque municipale de NantesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Municipal Library of Nantes co-organizes an annual thematic exhibition in partnership with the festival, the Chronographe, the Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle, and the Planetarium, exploring a different SF-and-science theme each year.
• Le Miroir de PoitiersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLe Miroir de Poitiers partnered with the festival for the immersive exhibition 'C'est arrivé demain' in 2018, designed as a spaceship-like space featuring the works of three renowned illustrators (Mathieu Bablet, Denis Bajram, Marion Montaigne) with interactive and immersive scenography.
• France CulturecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerFrance Culture is the exclusive radio partner of the festival. The Prix Utopiales winner is announced live on France Culture during the festival's press conference (mid-October). France Culture also covers festival programming throughout the event, including a dedicated studio on-site, providing national broadcast reach and credibility.
• Science & Vie / Science & Vie Junior / Science & Vie DécouvertesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerScience & Vie magazine is a partner for the youth short-story competition prizes. Winners in the Primaire, Collège, and Lycée categories receive 6-month paper subscriptions to Science & Vie Découvertes, Science & Vie Junior, or Science & Vie respectively. Science & Vie Junior also awards a 'Coup de cœur' prize for the Collège category, including publication in the magazine.
• Éditions ActuSFminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorÉditions ActuSF publishes the annual youth anthology of winning short stories from the competition, featured in the following year's edition of Les Utopiales. This partnership ensures the dissemination of young authors' creative works in printed form.
• FuturoscopeminorOthersThe Futuroscope theme park provides a prize for the three category winners of the short-story competition: a day at Futuroscope for the winner and a companion of their choice, valued at approximately €200.
• Inserm (research visits)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAs part of the short-story competition prizes, winners receive a class visit from a scientist or a guided tour of an Inserm research laboratory in Nantes, connecting youth with real-world science alongside their SF creative work.
• Nantes UniversitéminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNantes Université partners with the festival to provide research lab visits as prizes for short-story competition winners, complementing the science-education mission of the youth program.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Comic-Con International (San Diego): The largest US pop-culture convention, combining comics, film, TV, games, and publishing with 100,000+ attendees; comparable to Les Utopiales in its multi-format fan convention model and prize/exhibition programming, though broader in mainstream pop-culture focus.
• Festival d'Avignon: France's flagship annual performing-arts festival with 100,000+ attendees, in/festival programming model, and major institutional backing; comparable to Les Utopiales as a French publicly-supported cultural festival with multi-disciplinary programming and prize culture, though broader in performing arts.
• Worldcon / World Science Fiction Convention: The oldest and largest global SF convention (Hugo Awards, Worldcon), held annually across different cities; comparable as a higher-scale, English-language benchmark for SF literary prizes, author programming, and fan engagement that Les Utopiales emulates at European regional scale.

Direct peers

• Festival International de la Bande Dessinée d'Angoulême: Premier French comics festival held annually in Angoulême with author exhibitions, prizes (Grand Prix), and 200,000+ visitors; comparable to Les Utopiales in its comics/illustration programming, prize culture, and Francophone audience base.
• Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFFF): Long-running Belgian film festival dedicated to genre cinema (fantasy, horror, SF), with competitions, retrospectives, and professional accreditation; directly comparable to Les Utopiales' cinema programming track and its multi-discipline European positioning.
• Gamescom: World's largest games event held annually in Cologne, combining video games, tabletop, role-playing, and esports; comparable to Les Utopiales' games-area programming and ~100 volunteer facilitator model, though focused almost entirely on interactive entertainment.
• Fantasy Basel: Swiss annual pop-culture convention combining SF/fantasy, comics, film, cosplay, and gaming under one roof; comparable to Les Utopiales in its multi-disciplinary mix and in targeting a European Francophone/Francophone-adjacent SF audience.
• FantasyCon (British Fantasy Society): Annual UK-based convention for fantasy and science-fiction professionals and enthusiasts, featuring author panels, the British Fantasy Awards, and exhibitor halls — directly comparable in scope (multi-genre SF programming, awards, professional networking) to a Les Utopiales edition.
• Les Imaginales: Annual French fantasy and science-fiction literary festival held in Épinal, focused on European SF/fantasy authors, book prizes, and themed programming — directly comparable to Les Utopiales' literature and science tracks and competes for the same French SF audience.

Regional players

• Festival International du Film Fantastique de Gérardmer: Long-running French genre cinema festival dedicated to fantasy, horror, and SF films with jury prizes and public screenings; comparable to Les Utopiales' cinema track and genre focus, but operates in eastern France rather than the Nantes/Western France catchment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks1 record

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/festival-international-de-science-fiction-les-utopiales

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 Festival international de science-fiction Les Utopiales