What festa does

Festa is a Toulouse-headquartered Société Coopérative d'Intérêt Collectif (SCIC) with ESUS (Entreprise Solidaire d'Utilité Sociale) accreditation that conceives, prefigures, and operates multi-functional third-place venues ("tiers-lieux") combining food, culture, sports, co-working and community programming. Founded in 2016 in response to a call for projects from the Toulouse municipal government, Festa's role within each venue is to define, prepare, operate and manage the food, grocery and bar sections as a property and tenant curator, while relying on partner organisations to deliver sports, culture and other programming. The company currently operates three sites: Les Halles de la Cartoucherie (a 13,500 m² hybrid venue that attracted nearly 2 million visitors in its first year and houses around 30 merchants), Les 500 de la Cartoucherie (a neighbourhood hub and prefiguration laboratory hosting approximately 200 free events per year), and Les Halles de Gameville in Saint-Orens-de-Gameville (opened July 7, 2025).

Festa monetises through four streams: (i) recurring rental income from curated merchants and restaurateurs operating within its venues, modulated by the proprietary Loyers Vertueux ("Virtuous Rents") mechanism that reduces rent for tenants meeting social and ecological criteria (60% sustainable sourcing, food-waste reduction, decent working conditions); (ii) direct food-and-beverage operations such as La Buvette at Les Halles de Gameville; (iii) Mission Conseil consulting services for third-party projects aligned with its social mission; and (iv) capital raising through equity crowdfunding on the Wiseed platform. The underlying methodology, branded "La démarche Festable," is the operational framework that ties these revenue mechanics to the cooperative's social purpose, and it is also being productised externally through consulting engagements.

The business is governed as a multi-stakeholder cooperative rather than a conventional equity-backed company, with approximately 40 employees mobilised across venues and animation teams. Distribution is entirely physical and regional (Occitanie), with marketing driven by organic social channels (LinkedIn, three venue-specific Instagram accounts), email, and word-of-mouth from event programming. Festa has publicly committed to opening two new sites per year from 2026 onward, funded in part through the active Wiseed campaign, indicating a transition from pilot operator to multi-site venue platform.

Name

festa

Legal name

FESTA, Société en nom collectif

Website

https://festa.bar

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Festa is a Toulouse-based SCIC social cooperative that operates multi-functional third-place food, culture and community venues alongside curated merchants, currently running three sites in the Occitanie region and planning two new openings per year from 2026.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Food Hall & Third-Place Venue Operations

NAICS

Restaurants and Other Eating Places (72251), Caterers (722320)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Food, Wine & Beverage Festivals/Expos (MPAGAFAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Beverage Services (Bar Catering, Mixology, Beverage Programs) (THAHAKAJ), Event Culinary Staffing & Back-of-House Services (Chefs, Servers, Bartenders) (THAHAKAN), Gala, Fundraiser & Nonprofit Event Catering (THAHAKAF)

Keywords

• Third-place venues
• Food hall operations
• Cooperative hospitality
• Community event programming
• Social enterprise consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Toulouse

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Rental income from merchants: Festa collects rent from merchants and restaurateurs operating within their third-place venues, including a 'Vertueux' (virtuous) rent mechanism that provides rent reductions for merchants meeting social and ecological criteria such as 60% sustainable sourcing, food waste reduction, and decent working conditions.
2. Food and beverage operations: Festa directly operates food and beverage stands within their venues, including 'La Buvette' at Les Halles de Gameville.
3. Consulting services: Festa provides consulting services for projects that align with their social mission, evaluating based on project values, territorial understanding, and shared enthusiasm.
4. Crowdfunding/Investment: Festa raises capital through equity crowdfunding platforms (Wiseed) to fund expansion of new locations.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Festa is a SCIC (Société Coopérative d'Intérêt Collectif) that designs, prefigures and operates multi-functional third-place venues in the Toulouse region, combining food service, culture, sports, co-working, and social programming under the 'Loyers Vertueux' / Festable approach. The company curates and manages the restaurant, grocery and bar sections of Les Halles de la Cartoucherie (13,500 m2), Les 500 de la Cartoucherie and Les Halles de Gameville, working alongside approximately 30 independent merchants and restaurateurs, and offers a 'Mission Conseil' advisory service for similar third-place projects elsewhere.

Product overview

Festa is a SCIC (Société Coopérative d'Intérêt Collectif) that operates multi-functional third-place venues alongside merchants and restaurateurs in Toulouse. Its portfolio includes three operating sites: Les Halles de la Cartoucherie (13,500 m2 hybrid food/culture/workspace venue), Les 500 de la Cartoucherie (neighborhood hub and prefiguration laboratory), and Les Halles de Gameville (opened July 2025). The company also implements La démarche Festable, a comprehensive sustainable food service model featuring Les Loyers Vertueux incentive mechanism for merchants, and offers consulting services (Mission Conseil) for similar projects.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Les Halles de la Cartoucherie A 13,500 m2 multi-functional third-place venue in Toulouse that combines dining, sports, culture, co-working spaces and services. Festa curates and manages the restaurant, grocery and bar sections around a 'Place du Marché' populated by around 30 independent merchants and restaurateurs, intended as both a local life venue and a showcase for the food transition.
• Les 500 de la Cartoucherie A neighborhood landmark space in Toulouse functioning both as a prefiguration laboratory for Les Halles de la Cartoucherie and as a permanent community hub hosting approximately 200 free events per year. Festa defines, prepares, operates and manages the overall link with property-manager responsibilities.
• Les Halles de Gameville A multi-functional food and community venue opened in Saint-Orens-de-Gameville on 7 July 2025, offering a rotisserie, cultural café/bar, urban guinguette and a dedicated space for ephemeral merchants, in partnership with the Ville de Saint-Orens-de-Gameville. Festa operates the venue within its Festable framework.
• Mission Conseil (Consulting) Advisory service through which Festa supports external partners in assembling third-place projects, evaluating engagements based on alignment with Festa's social purpose, territorial understanding, and shared enthusiasm. Designed for municipalities, developers, and project initiators seeking to replicate the Festable model.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 2 million visitors in first year of Les Halles de la Cartoucherie operations
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Collectif CosmopoliscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Collective partner in the Cartoucherie project. Collectif Cosmopolis and various actors are united in a cooperative, of which Festa is an integral part, for the development of Les Halles de la Cartoucherie.
• Toulouse Municipal GovernmentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Toulouse city government issued the original call for projects that led to the founding of Festa and the development of the Cartoucherie third-place concept. The city continues to partner on new venue developments such as Les Halles de Gameville.
• Ville de Saint-Orens-de-GamevillecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunicipal government partnered with Festa for the creation and operation of Les Halles de Gameville, opened July 7, 2025. Festa managed site creation and montage in coordination with the municipality.
• les 500 de la Cartoucherie (Separate Entity)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRelated but distinct entity from Festa that operates as a neighborhood gathering space. Festa's role includes defining, preparing, operating, and managing the overall link with property manager responsibilities.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Ground Control (Paris): A Parisian multi-functional venue combining food halls, bars, event programming, co-working and cultural activations in a redeveloped urban space. Operates with a similar community-driven, event-rich playbook to Festa's Les Halles and Les 500 de la Cartoucherie.
• La Felicità (Paris): Large Italian-themed food hall and event venue located within Station F in Paris. Closely comparable to Les Halles de la Cartoucherie as a curated multi-merchant F&B destination with strong event programming and high footfall.
• La REcyclerie (Paris): Parisian third-place venue built in a former train station, focused on sustainable food, community programming, and urban rehabilitation. Shares Festa's social mission, sustainability ethos, and hybrid venue model.
• Le Centquatre / 104 (Paris): Major Parisian cultural center combining exhibitions, performances, food offerings, and family activities in a repurposed municipal space. Comparable to Festa as a publicly-pioneered, multi-use community venue with food and cultural programming.

Broad incumbents

• Eataly: Global Italian food hall and marketplace chain. Operates the same multi-merchant F&B + retail + event concept as Festa, but at much larger scale and as a commercial (rather than cooperative) enterprise.
• Time Out Market: International curated food hall concept (Lisbon, NYC, etc.) that brings together chef-driven restaurants, bars and cultural programming under one roof. Closely comparable business model to Les Halles de la Cartoucherie, at significantly larger scale.
• Big Mamma Group: Major French-Italian restaurant group operating large, design-forward trattorias and food halls in Paris and other French cities. Overlaps with Festa on high-volume, multi-venue F&B operations and event-friendly formats, though without the cooperative structure.
• Mama Shelter: Multi-city hospitality brand (owned by Accor) known for combining hotels with vibrant restaurants, bars, and event programming. Comparable to Festa on the integration of F&B, events, and culture within physical destinations.

Regional players

• Cité du Vin (Bordeaux): Major French food-and-beverage-themed cultural attraction in Bordeaux combining exhibitions, tastings, restaurants, and event spaces. Comparable as a French public/private hybrid venue monetizing food culture through ticketing, F&B, and programming.

Others

• FOODING: French food guide and festival organizer promoting independent restaurateurs and food events. Comparable to Festa on the mission of curating and amplifying independent food merchants and events, though not a venue operator.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/festa-scic-sarl/?viewAsMember=true
• Instagraminstagram.com/leshallesdelacartoucherie

Compliance2 records

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 festa