World Festival Ambert

What World Festival Ambert does

World Festival Ambert is a non-profit music and cultural festival organized by Association Livradoué-Dansaïre under French law (Loi 1901), founded in 1989 and headquartered in Ambert, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France. Held annually over three days in July, the festival combines mainstream contemporary music headliners (Sean Paul, Bigflo & Oli, Lost Frequencies, Gaël Faye) with traditional folk dance and music ensembles from around the world across three stages (Grande Scène with 9,000 capacity, Chapiteau, Petite Scène). Since inception it has hosted 7,850+ artists from 100 countries and attracted over 29,000 festival-goers in 2025.

The operational platform is built on Weezevent for online ticketing (with tiered Mega Fan / Super Fan / Fan / Futur Fan quotas) and WeezPay for on-site cashless payments via wristbands and cards at bars (Le Placard, La Barique, Le Cabanon), food vendors, merchandise and the cloakroom. Distribution is direct-to-consumer across the official website, the festival mobile app, the boutique.festival-ambert.fr e-commerce store for merchandise, a shuttle service from Clermont-Ferrand, and an official ticket exchange (bourse aux billets) to suppress the secondary black market.

The business model is event-driven and diversified: 79% of 2025 financing came from own resources (ticketing, merchandising, on-site F&B), 16% from approximately 100 corporate sponsors and a Club des Mécènes patron club, and 5% from public subsidies. Pricing spans tiered single-day to three-day passes, discounted child tickets (€7 for ages 6-10, free under 6), VIP packages for partners and patrons, and CSE works-council sales. Marketing is multi-channel — organic social (Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok), earned media via La Montagne / NRJ / ICI Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, email newsletter, and word-of-mouth through the ~280 volunteer ambassador network. UNESCO patronage (2013, 2015, 2017, 2020, 2025) and CIOFF recognition (since 1999) provide cultural-credibility differentiation from commercial festival competitors.

Name

World Festival Ambert

Legal name

Association Livradoué-Dansaïre

Website

https://festival-ambert.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

World Festival Ambert is a non-profit three-day music and folk-culture festival held annually in Ambert, France, organized by Association Livradoué-Dansaïre and serving 29,000+ attendees with a mix of mainstream headliners and traditional dance groups from 100 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Music and Cultural Festival

NAICS

All Other Amusement and Recreation Industries (713990), Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Concerts & Music Festivals (THAJAFAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cultural & Community Festivals (Ticketed) (THAJAFAI), Fan Engagement & Onsite Technology (RFID, Cashless, Apps) (MPAGAAAL)

Keywords

• Music festival organization
• Cultural event management
• Live music events
• Folk arts programming
• Festival ticketing services

Headquarters

HQ city

Rue De Chorette

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Primary revenue stream from sale of single-day tickets, 2-day passes, 3-day passes, and VIP packages. Pricing tiers include Mega Fan, Super Fan, Fan, and Futur Fan with decreasing prices as quotas are filled. Additional revenue from CSE (works council) ticket sales and Pass Région/Spectacle Vivant credit redemption.
2. Merchandise Sales: Sale of festival-branded products including t-shirts, hoodies, accessories, bob hats, socks, posters and other textiles through the festival's own e-commerce boutique and on-site boutique.
3. Food & Beverage Sales: On-site bars and restaurants (Le Placard, La Barrique, Le Cabanon) serving food and beverages including beer (Gallia, Desperados, Heineken 0%), soft drinks, cocktails, and local specialties. All sales conducted via cashless system.
4. Sponsorship & Patronage: Sponsorship from approximately 100 partner companies and institutional bodies, including sponsors, institutional partners, media partners, and a Club des Mécènes (patron club). In 2025, 16% of financing came from sponsorship and patronage.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

World Festival Ambert organizes and operates an annual 3-day music and cultural festival in Ambert, France, combining contemporary mainstream music acts with traditional folk dance and world-music groups from across the globe across three stages (Grande Scène, Chapiteau, Petite Scène). The festival sells single-day, 2-day, and 3-day passes via the Weezevent platform, on-site camping, a shuttle bus service from Clermont-Ferrand, an own e-commerce merchandise boutique, and runs an on-site cashless payment system for bars, food vendors, merchandise, and cloakroom services.

Product overview

World Festival Ambert is a 3-day music and cultural festival operating as a unified event platform with multiple integrated service modules. The core offering centers on festival passes granting access to live performances across three stages (Grande Scène, Chapiteau, and Petite Scène), complemented by ancillary services including camping accommodation, shuttle transportation from Clermont-Ferrand, and the cashless payment wristband system for all on-site purchases. The festival operates an e-commerce boutique for official merchandise (t-shirts, accessories, posters) and provides a Village area for pre-concert entertainment with partner activations, food vendors, and bar services. Family attendance is supported through discounted child tickets and dedicated Festi'Bambin activities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Festival Passes (1-day, 2-day, 3-day) Tiered-price admission passes (1-day for Thursday, Friday or Saturday; 2-day for Thursday+Friday or Friday+Saturday; 3-day for Thursday+Friday+Saturday) granting access to the three festival stages (Grande Scène, Chapiteau, Petite Scène) for individual consumers. Sold via the Weezevent platform with quota-based pricing (Mega Fan, Super Fan, Fan, Futur Fan).
• On-site Camping On-site camping accommodation with dedicated tent and camper-vehicle zones, available to festival-goers during the 3-day event, sold via the Weezevent platform.
• Festival Shuttle Bus (Navette) Round-trip shuttle bus service between Clermont-Ferrand train station and the festival site in Ambert, with fixed departures and a 1h30 journey time, sold via Weezevent.
• Festival Merchandise Online Boutique E-commerce storefront selling festival-branded clothing (t-shirts, hoodies, chemises), accessories (hats, socks), and posters from previous editions, with free delivery on orders over €80 and a 15-day return policy.
• WeezPay Cashless Payment System Cashless electronic-wallet payment system using wristbands or cards, accepted at all on-site points of sale (bars Le Placard, La Barrique, Le Cabanon; food stands; merchandise boutique; cloakroom), with online balance top-up and post-festival refund requests.
• Village Area Pre-concert festival area opening at 4pm daily, featuring bars, food stalls, the festival boutique, partner activations (Decathlon sports animations, Beauty Success make-up stand, Les Coiffeurs au Carré hair salon) and family-friendly animations.
• Children's Tickets (Billet Enfant) Discounted or free admission tickets for children aged 0–10 (free for under 6, €7 for ages 6–10), enabling family attendance, with dedicated Festi'Bambin activities for under-12s.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 29,000 festival-goers attend annually from across France
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 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

Feature1 record

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and moderate.

• WeezeventcoreOthers · 1 January 2026Official ticketing partner providing the online ticket sales platform (Weezevent.com) and ticket validation systems. Also provides the official ticket exchange (bourse aux billets) for secure secondary market sales.
• WeezPay (Weezevent)coreOthersCashless payment system provider enabling the festival's bracelet/card-based electronic wallet for all on-site transactions including bars, restaurants, merchandise, and cloakroom.
• HeinekenminorOthersBeverage sponsor providing Heineken 0% (non-alcoholic) beer for the festival. Contributes to volunteer uniform provision (t-shirts for identification).
• Crédit MutuelminorOthersBanking partner contributing to volunteer uniform provision (t-shirts). Also partners through the Tremplin Riffx by Crédit Mutuel music competition and as a media partner via Riffx by Crédit Mutuel.
• Crédit MutuelmoderateGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of the Tremplin Riffx music competition and media partner via Riffx by Crédit Mutuel platform. Provides financial support for emerging artist discovery.
• DesperadosminorOthersOfficial sponsor of the festival, providing alcoholic beverage supply for on-site bars.
• SifamminorOthersListed as an official sponsor of the World Festival Ambert.
• Agi-SonminorOthersPartnership for hearing protection. Free earplugs distributed at festival welcome and prevention stand. Also provides protective headphones for hearing safety.
• Planning Familial 63minorOthersHealth organization present at the prevention stand, providing information on sexual health, STIs, contraception, consent, and abortion (IVG).
• Avenir SantéminorOthersHealth organization present at the prevention stand, providing information on hearing risks, addictions, tobacco, alcohol, and drugs.
• REPROFminorOthersNetwork for the protection of women victims of violence, present at the prevention stand.
• La MontagneminorOthersRegional media partner providing press coverage and media visibility for the festival.
• NRJminorOthersNational media partner providing radio coverage and media visibility for the festival.
• ICI Auvergne Rhône-AlpesminorOthersRegional television media partner providing broadcast coverage and media visibility for the festival.
• JC DecauxminorOthersOutdoor advertising partner providing billboard advertising space for festival promotion.
• Decathlon Clermont-FerrandminorOthersSports retailer partner providing sports activity animations at the camping (badminton, ping-pong, Mölkky) and an information stand at the Village.
• Beauty SuccessminorOthersBeauty brand with a make-up stand at the Village for festival-goers.
• Les Coiffeurs au Carré (Clermont-Ferrand)minorOthersHair salon partner with a stand at the Village for festival-goers.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Rock en Seine: Major French music festival held in the Paris region (Saint-Cloud). Comparable as a multi-genre French summer festival with mainstream headliners and contemporary indie/pop/electronic artists, targeting a similar audience demographic.
• Printemps de Bourges: Long-established French music discovery festival held in Bourges. Comparable as a multi-stage spring music festival with broad genre programming and a focus on artist discovery, similar to World Festival Ambert's eclectic lineup.
• Les Eurockéennes de Belfort: Major French multi-genre music festival held in Belfort. Comparable as a similarly sized French summer music festival with broad genre programming including world music, rock, and electronic acts across multiple stages.
• Les Vieilles Charrues: France's largest music festival held annually in Carhaix, Brittany. Comparable as a major multi-genre independent music festival with similar nonprofit association structure and broad musical programming across multiple stages.
• Festival Interceltique de Lorient: Major French festival dedicated to Celtic and world music/folk traditions. Highly comparable given its focus on traditional folk alongside contemporary artists, its international cultural programming, and its rural French location.
• Solidays: Paris-based music festival organized by a nonprofit (Solidarité SIDA) with a social mission. Comparable given its nonprofit association structure, similar reliance on volunteers, and its blend of major contemporary artists with a social-cause mission.
• Festival de Cornouaille: Annual Breton festival in Quimper celebrating traditional Breton music and dance alongside contemporary artists. Directly comparable given its similar focus on combining folk/traditional dance with contemporary music in a French regional setting.
• Festival d'Avignon: France's most prestigious performing arts festival. Comparable as a long-established French cultural festival with UNESCO recognition, international artist programming, and a nonprofit association organizing structure rooted in a specific regional location.
• Paleo Festival: Swiss multi-genre music festival held in Nyon. Comparable as a similarly-sized European summer festival with eclectic programming spanning mainstream contemporary artists and world/folk music, with a strong community and volunteer base.

Broad incumbents

• Hellfest: France's largest rock and metal festival, held annually in Clisson. Comparable as a major French summer music festival drawing similar attendance scales (~180,000+), but operates as a commercial enterprise rather than nonprofit and specializes in heavier genres.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/worldfestivalambert
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/festival-ambert

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 World Festival Ambert